Eye of the Storm
by Candylovin Fehrian
Summary: All is well in Hazzard... That is, until a huge storm decides to pay a visit. What will happen to our favourite Dukeboys?
1. A hard day's work

_**A/N My very first Duke fic! I hesitated a bit before writing this, because of the writingstyle these kind of stories acquire. English is not my native language, so forgive me if I use any strange words or sentences. Before we start the story I want to thank all of the great writers on FF, they really inspired me to write my own story, after reading all of their wonderful stories. Thank you all! Now let's git it on!**_

1

The air was hot and humid, as if the tension was mounting for a thundering summer storm. Dark clouds were already forming on the horizon, but the sun was still beating down on the bare backs of the two young men who were working in the field. Trying to get the crops inside before the storm would hit full force.

"Bo, you almost done?" Luke asked, wiping a trail of sweat from his brow, before casting a glance at his cousin who was still busy throwing large sacks into the back of the truck. He stretched his body, wincing as a few kinks in his muscles made themselves known.

Looking at the stack he'd made, a large grin spread itself on his face.

"Well cuz, looks like we beat that storm again. And you know what that means", Luke shook his head, already knowing what his younger cousin meant. And with a longing look, they simultaneously said, "Crawdad soup…"

**Well folks, looks like everything is going peachy on the Duke-farm. Now doesn't that sound strange to you? Peachy and Duke in one sentence? I would leave that fridge closed if I were you, something's bound to happen…**

Clapping his yawning cousin on the back, Luke grabbed his shirt after throwing the final sack into the truck. With a worried look, he watched the dark clouds roll in faster then he'd expected.

"Well, I think your appetite needs to wait a little longer, you forgettin we got to bring this truck back to the Learson farm before dark?"

Bo managed to look so disappointed, Luke had to chuckle at his forlorn expression. A grumble startled the two, but instead of looking up, two pairs of eyes went to Bo's stomach. The two cousins were about to break out laughing, when a large thunderclap lit up the sky and shook the ground.

Still chuckling they headed towards the truck, knowing they would make it to the Learson farm if they hurried.

"Hey Luke, how come we always borrow the Learson truck? The Mackenzies have a much bigger one right?"

"Yeah, they probably wouldn't lend it to ya. Remember Betty-Jo?"

Bo frowned, before smiling dreamily, "I sure do. We had some great fun at her hayloft", he frowned again, "but what does she-" he stopped himself from going any further, as the thought came to him, and he murmured, "Betty-Jo Mackenzie… Whee cuz, don't go any further, I know what you mean. Her daddy sure had good aim, those buckshot's stung real bad!"

Luke had to laugh at his Casanova cousin, "Just be glad the Learsons live on the other side, and they only have a son."

Their light banter continued, while the storm came closer. The wind was picking up, causing the large truck to swerve a little, and despite Bo's driving skills he actually had trouble keeping the thing on the road.

They were only half way there, when the storm broke full force. Two large thunderclaps rattled the old truck, and had the Duke boys rattling in their seats.

"Ehh, wasn't this supposed to be a small storm? This looks like a full red-blooded hurricane," Bo said with amazement apparent in his voice. Luke nodded solemnly, looking at the thundering trees before them with worry in his face.

"Just keep your eyes on the road, with this weather there must be some branches on the road."

Bo nodded, remembering where they were, in the middle of nowhere, trees all around them and no houses for miles.

The darkened sky cast an aerie blue green glance on the world around them, making the looming branches transform into large claws, grabbing for any creature that dared to enter the road they were protecting.

After the next big thunderclap the storm seemed to still, right then and there. A light drizzle of rain silently beat against the windows. Both Dukes looked at each other with wonder in their eyes. Could it be over so soon? And just when Luke was about to speak up, the brightest flash appeared before the large truck, temporarily blinding the two. Not a second after the flash, the earth shook and the sound of a canon being shot sounded so close, both boys felt a ringing in their ears so loud, it was the only sound they heard for a second.

And when they finally got their bearings back, seeing the storm return in full force, with large gusts of wind and rain, already making large pools on the road, making it slippery and muddy, another flash, even brighter then the one before, sliced through the air. And this time the thunder felt like it had been imbedded into the flash.

"Luke!" Bo yelled, his voice barely able to be heard over the thundering world around them. Luke was holding on to his seat firmly, seeing how Bo was jerking the wheel, desperately trying to keep the vehicle on the road. Turning his attention back on the road, he was just able to see the slight movement in front of them on the right side, before he shouted towards his cousin.

"Bo, look out!"

Two pairs of frightened eyes saw the large tree fall, one foot was put on the brake with such force, the vehicle skidded even harder on the slippery ground, and one tornado-like gust of wind blew the vehicle forwards even more.

Two screams tore through the truck, when the tree hit it full force. The sound of crunching metal resounding in the cacophony of sounds.

And suddenly, there was silence. No more thunder was heard, flashes disappeared in the distance, and only a steadily falling rain was left. Leaving one, almost unrecognisable, wreckage behind.

**Don't you just hate it when you're right? Well I sure am. I'll tell ya, those boys can find trouble, even when it's hiding from them…**


	2. Waking up is a hard thing ta do

_**A/N Thank you so much for all the great reviews, they keep me writing! Well, let's not wait any longer, and git on to the story. Enjoy!**_

2

The rain falling on his face made him squint. He wanted to rub his eyes, but soon found his left arm stuck between the wheel and the door.

Slowly opening his eyes, adjusting to the darkness around him, he tried to move his head, only finding out the top of the truck was now closer then before. Yet, he was able to turn his neck, and by looking down, he saw the reason for the pain in his left leg. A large branch must have broken the window, cause a piece of it was now imbedded into his leg. He wriggled his arm carefully, but when the flashes of pain he expected didn't come, he tugged harder. With one hard pull he wrenched his arm free and with two shaking hands, he pulled the piece of glass from his leg. A hiss of pain escaped his clenched teeth when it came free and he tossed the darned shard on the floor.

A soft rattling sound next to him caught his attention, but his still fuzzy mind couldn't quite comprehend where it came from. Turning his head trying to get a look at the darkened area, he tried to make out what was making the painfully familiar sound.

All of a sudden a flash of lightning gave him a brief look at the source of the sound and his breath caught in his throat. The cotton in his head vanishing the moment he remembered… Luke! He was the one next to him, he was the one making that gut-wrenching sound!

Turning as far as he could, he grabbed the flashlight which had conveniently been laying on the back seat. Turning it on, he immediately shone it towards the prone form of his cousin.

The sight that met him made him flinch back a bit. His older cousin was firmly stuck between the roof and the seat. Blood trickled down his head in a steady flow. Another dark stain made itself known when he shone the flashlight on his cousins midsection.

"Luke?" he whispered, almost afraid of making any noise.

No answer could be heard, as the laboured breath of his cousin kept going, still producing that painful sound. Shaking his head against the dull throb, panic started to surface, making it harder to breathe. Bo wriggled in his seat, knowing he had to find help soon. Reaching for the CB with still shaking hands, he said a small prayer to the Lord above, praying that the old thing would still work. Grabbing the CB, he slowly brought it to his mouth and pressed the button. The roughness of his voice amazed him and he tried to speak louder.

"This is Bo Duke, calling the Hazzardnet, anyone out there?"

His fears were confirmed when he heard nothing but a crackling noise when he released the sending button. But ol' Bo was no quitter, he tried again and again, but nothing happened.

"Please, we need help", he pleaded one last time, desperation filling his already rough voice. But only silence could be heard. Silence and the laboured breathing of his cousin. Turning his attention back to Luke, Bo couldn't help but shiver. It would be difficult to get his cousin out of his cramped position. It looked like his part of the roof had gotten the biggest impact of the tree and was imprisoning him in his seat.

Deciding he couldn't wait any longer, he gently touched Luke's shoulder, shaking his cousin softly.

"Luke, come on buddy, you gotta wake up", he pleaded, knowing they had to get out of there, soon.

After three gentle but firm shakes, his cousin suddenly moved slowly, releasing a low pain filled moan, eyes opening in a rush of panic when he realised the position he was in.

"Luke, Luke, it's okay, calm down cuz", Bo spoke in a reassuring voice, hoping it sounded better then he felt. But the first words Luke spoke, made Bo chuckle softly in relief, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Bo? I'm stuck…"

"Yeah cuz, I know. But we'll get you out. How you holding up?" he asked, worry still evident in his voice, seeing the pained look in Luke's eyes.

"My head hurts", he replied, before turning his head as far as he could, so he could look his younger cousin in the eyes, "I guess the rest is kind of numb. How 'bout you?"

Bo cringed, that was Luke for ya, always more worried about someone else. Bo knew he was lucky, the blood flowing from his leg had stopped flowing and his head hurt a little, but he could focus more now. And he knew the thing to focus on now was Luke.

Feeling the rain pouring down through the broken window, Luke saw the frown on Bo's face and the clouds in his head started to disappear a bit. Deciding to come into action, he tried to move his arms first. The left one moved without trouble, but a second later a bright flash of pain moved through his right.

Bo noticed his cousin hiss in pain and saw the strange angle in which his arm was bent.

"Ehhh Luke, I wouldn't move that arm if I were you, I think it's broken."

Luke grumbled before saying, "Ya know what, I think yur right…" As he put his arm down carefully, he turned towards the dark void beside him, ignoring the claws op pain which were now starting to find their way towards his chest.

He heard the screeching of metal and felt panic rise up in his throat, "Bo? What are you doing? Where are you?" he asked, amazed by the scratchiness of his own voice.

And suddenly, the light of the flashlight was bouncing somewhere outside, and he could see a flash of yellow stumbling around the car, before seeing the flattened, wet blonde curls of his cousin appear outside next to the bent passenger-door.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, as he saw how Bo was trying to wrench open the door. Yet he felt utterly helpless as he felt the truck shaking, while Bo wore a mask of concentration, trying to pry the door open. The numbness he had felt earlier started to disappear, making his body feel like on giant bruise, while all he could do was watch how Bo worked on the door.

The rain was pooling around him, soaking him and chilling him to the bone, but Bo kept pulling. He was determined to get the door open, even if it would take him all night. He was so focused on wrenching the door, he almost didn't hear Luke speak in a soft tone

"Bo, wait a second, if you pull, I'll push it from here, okay?"

Bo nodded, knowing it was the only way to get the bent door open.

"Alright, but you be careful now, ya hear?" he said before counting, "On three, one, two, three!" Bo yelled, yanking at the door with all the strength he had in him, while Luke pushed with all his might, causing flares of pain to stab at his chest and arm.

And after ten agonizing seconds, the door finally budged. With a large creak, it opened just enough so someone would fit through. Bending over, Bo took large gulps of breath, "We got it cuz, can you get out?"

Luke turned his upper body, ignoring the soaring pains, still tormenting his chest and stomach and keeping his broken arm as still as possible. But when he wanted to move his legs, he found them not to be cooperating and almost fell into Bo, who was standing with outstretched arms besides him.

Bo instinctively put one hand on his cousins side, keeping him sitting up in the constricted area he had been sitting in. Following Luke's gaze, he saw the cause of his cousins immobility. The crushed dashboard was keeping Luke's legs firmly set in place. A dreadful emotion flowed through his veins, how would they get out of this one?

**Ol' Bo sure knows when they're in trouble, don't he? Let's hope those boys find themselves a way out of this one…**


	3. Getting out

_**A/N It took me a while to write this allthough it is pretty short, and I'm not sure of the outcome. But I think next chapter will be better, I promise! But I'll just be quiet now, and let ya get on to the story!**_

3

A sigh of relief escaped Luke's lungs when he felt that he could wiggle his toes. Looking at the bent dashboard and the way his legs were folded underneath it with a little room between them, he made a decision. A decision, Bo probably wouldn't like but it was the only way.

"Bo, you gotta pull me out", he said, seeing Bo's eyes widen in shock, "If you pull, I can shove myself to the right, and slide my legs out."

But Bo shook his head, "No way cuz, it'll hurt you like hell, and ya know it. I could never do somethin' like that, so please don't make me", he pleaded in an unnatural soft voice while the rain was still beating down on him.

Luke saw the torment in his cousins eyes, but knew it would be the only, painful way to get out. And Bo knew that too, he just wished he didn't have to be the one to cause his cousin any pain.

He slowly nodded his head, before saying, "Are ya real sure Luke? Cause this is gonna hurt ya real bad, especially if you've broken your ribs."

Luke nodded solemnly, knowing Bo was right and he did have broken ribs. But it was the only way, so he slowly lifted his hurt arm, so it rested against his chest.

"Tell me how you want me to do this cuz, cause you're the only one that knows where it hurts", Bo said while putting the flashlight on the hood and planting his feet firmly in the muddy ground. Luke saw his cousin bracing himself and did the same, "Just put one arm around my stomach, and the other on my left arm and just ehh, pull…" he said, twisting his body so Bo could have a good grip on him. Waiting for his cousins sign, Bo bit his lip, hoping he wouldn't be the cause of any new injuries.

Luke mentally counted to three, and kept his jaw locked as he already felt his body protesting against the moves he was making.

"Okay, pull", he groaned as he felt Bo's grip tighten and pull him out of the car. The flares shooting though his midsection blinded him, as he felt his legs starting to slide from beneath the dashboard. Although he kept his arm as still as possible the dang thing still hurt bad as it was tugged from one position to the other.

Ignoring the blinding pain in his entire body, he just set his mind to moving his legs. And within a few seconds, that felt like hours, he felt them give away and follow the direction his body was going.

Bo was franticly pulling at this cousin, while also trying to be careful. With a face red from concentration, he let out a small yell when he felt his cousin coming from the wreckage, which once was a truck.

And at the same time he pulled Luke from his seat, he felt something that made panic rise up in his throat. With all the tugging he had done, the mud underneath his feet had started to shift. While Luke relied on him to catch him, the weight of his cousin caused him to loose his footing in the slippery mud.

So when Luke came free from the car and let his weight rest on his cousin, Bo let out another yelp, this time in warning.

"Luke!"

The second the warning left his lips, he felt his feet slip, as his body lost the fight with gravity and plummeted to the ground. And as the two fell all he could think of was what this would mean to his cousins injuries as he saw his eyes widen as the next few seconds revealed themselves to him.

The joy Luke had felt at being loose, changed rapidly with Bo's warning and the image of the now fastly approaching ground. And as his body hit the ground, a blinding pain shot through his already battered body, blurring his mind as he gave himself over to blissful unconsciousness. The last thought on his mind was one of gratitude, he was out… While Bo was lying on his back, trying to get the breath back into his body

And there they lay, the two Dukeboys with the rain beating down on them, next to a wreckage beyond recognition. Alive.

**Ya can open your eyes now, y'all. But I wouldn't go to the fridge if I were you, I'm guessing it ain't over yet… **


	4. Out of the frying pan into the

**_A/N Sorry it took me a while to update, but real life came knockin' on my door... Between school and my internship, there's surprisingly little time left. :s So you can see I was excited to find out I actually had one entire weekend off! The deal from now on? I'm gonna try to provide all of you with an update once a week, so I am really tryin! I hope y'all like this chapter by the way. But I will just shut up now, so we can git on with the story... Enjoy!_**

4

For the second time that day Bo was feeling the rain beat down on him. But this time he knew exactly what was going on. Still catching his breath in small gasps, a painful experience because of his bruised ribs, he glanced side wards, seeing Luke was blissfully unaware of their situation.

A small ray of moonlight was coming through the clouds which were still pouring their anguish onto the world below them. Getting up, Bo could finally make something out of the landscape they were stranded in. Trees surrounded them, and the dirt road they had been on earlier, was now turned into a muddy pool. He knew the first house in this area was at least 10 miles away from where they were.

Heaving a defeated sigh he turned towards the Learson truck, gasping at the sight of the crumpled wreckage.

"How the heck did we get out of that one?" he asked himself out loud, while running his hands through his wet and sticky curls.

"With a whole lot a luck", came a soft reply from behind him.

Whirling around, expecting to find some unknown stranger, he immediately saw where the words had come from.

Luke sitting upright, one arm curled into his chest, looking at him with a weary look in his eyes. But the thing that relieved Bo the most was the slight twinkle which rested in the corner of his cousins blue eyes.

A small chuckle escaped his lips, but he sobered up when he heard his cousin cough painfully.

"Hey Luke? How are those ribs feelin'?" He knew it was a stupid question, but if they ever wanted to get home, they had to be able to walk, a lot. His own head was throbbing a bit, but the slight flow of blood had stopped a long time ago. The aching in his chest had resided for the time being and the cut on his leg only throbbed when he put to much weight on it.

"Well," came the reply, followed by a couching fit, "It only hurts when I breathe."

Bo chuckled, "Then you'd better breathe shallow cuz, cause we can't keep sittin' here all muddy and hurt."

He turned a worrisome glance at Luke who was having difficulty getting to his feet, before putting a hand out, helping his older cousin to his feet.

The world started to spin a little when Luke unsteadily wobbled on his legs. But after a full minute the trees stopped turning and only one blond cousin was standing in front of him with a worry-frown on his face. Bringing his good hand to the warm flow which was still streaming down his face, he brought it back. And thanks to the small rays of moonlight he saw the dark stain it had left behind on his fingers.

Knowing they couldn't do anything about it now, he wiped the blood on his soaked jeans, before Bo had even noticed.

"You're right, we'd better start movin', the Learson farm has to be at least 10 miles from here," looking over his dishevelled cousin, a thought came to him, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Bo shook his head, "Well, it's nothing we can't worry about later, just like you I guess."

Both cousins nodded their heads in an unspoken agreement. And simultaneously they started walking, wet, cold, hurt an tired.

**No one could accuse those boys of bein' lazy. Am I the only one wondering what lies beneath the next curve on that road? **

_Duke farm_

"They should have been back by now Uncle Jesse," Daisy exclaimed, while standing besides the window, gazing into the dark night.

Jesse glanced at the clock and knew she was right. Jeb Learson had already called an hour ago, asking Jesse if the boys were still bringing his truck back, because of the ongoing storm.

A feeling of dread flowed through his veins, he knew the boys had left more than three hours ago, so they should have reached the Learson farm two hours earlier.

Shaking his head slowly, he decided it was best to sit tight for another while. If the boys would return, there had to be somebody on the farm.

Turning towards Daisy he calmed her, "Daisy, you know those boys have a nose fur trouble, but with this weather, they've probably had some delay or somethin'. Now we'll wait for another hour, and if they're not back by then, we'll go for a good old fashioned search an' rescue."

Daisy nodded, turning her attention back to the window, wishing the two would pop up outside and tell her everything was fine, and that she was such a girl to get worried like that…

_Meanwhile_

At the same time two figures were still limping through the rough territory. The rain had stopped pouring and was now nothing more than a slight drizzle. The moon had appeared in its full glory and shone across the countryside, casting the area in a spooky pale light.

No words were exchanged, as their main focus was to keep on walking, no matter how tired they were. The cold was now starting to seep through their clothes, settling itself deeply into their bones, causing both boys to shiver endlessly.

As Luke stumbled for the umpteenth time, Bo slipped one arm underneath his good shoulder, and silently supported his weary cousin. The silence continued as they kept walking, one step after the other.

And silence was all that could be heard, until one sound pierced through it, a high pitched howling sound which made the two wanderers stop dead in their tracks.

In the distance, two tiny yellow orbs were staring back at them. And as Luke looked up at the sky above him, silently cursing their fates, Bo only said two words.

"Oh boy…"

**Well, ain't that just the understatement of the year? Somethin tells me, that ain't some kind stranger helpin our boys out of this mess. Y'all stick around now, ya hear?**


	5. Friend or foe?

_**A/N Wow, I actually made my own deadline and updated within the week! I don't know 'bout you guys, but I still amaze myself...:-p Now let's just git on to the story, hope you like it! Enjoy**_

5

**Let's just take a look at the trouble the boys are findin' themselves in right now: They found themselves smack in the middle of a thunderstorm, their truck got hit by a tree, trappin' them like sardines in a sardine can. And after gettin' out they had a long way ahead of them, with a whole lot of things standin' in their way. Like the yellow eyed one they're starin at right now…**

"Oh boy…"

Luke slowly turned his head to look at the panic which was starting to surface in his younger cousins eyes. With slow movements he put his hand on top of Bo's arm, shaking him out of his stupor.

"Bo, don't ya move a muscle," he softly whispered, hoping it wasn't to loud to scare the creature, who was still staring at them from a safe distance.

"I can do that…" Bo murmured, "No muscles movin here," he spoke, ending with a nervous chuckle.

The animal seemed to feel their fear and slowly started its way towards them, stopping only a few yards away from the fearful duo.

"Luke?" Bo whispered, feeling like he was shouting through the silence of the world around him.

"Is- is that what I think it is?"

Luke slowly nodded, affirming his own suspicions. The long, narrow muzzle was opened a little, revealing a set of teeth which seemed to gleam in the pale moonlight. It looked like it's fur had fallen out, only leaving a dark coloured layer around the unusually thin frame. The animal was large, and it made Luke doubt about its origins. But the short tail made him reconsider, and agree with Bo. They had lived in these parts long enough to know what creature was standing in front of them.

They were standing eye to eye with a huge wolf. And by the looks of it, he was starved. A long tongue wormed its way from the creatures mouth, letting it hang out for a second before swallowing it again. A feral growl could be heard from the animal, standing only a few feet away from the boys.

Luke swallowed hard, before turning his eyes on Bo, but meanwhile keeping one eye on the growling animal in front of them.

"I think we need ta git out of here, that thing looks hungry…" he whispered while the wolf took another cautious step towards them and they took one back.

"Don't they always say they's more scared of us then we are of them?" Bo whispered a little too loud for Luke's liking.

"Yeah, but this one probably didn't get that message," he replied dryly.

Bo didn't respond, he only turned his attention back to the ill looking animal in front of them. At that moment a distant rumble could be heard, letting the three bodies standing in the moonlight know the storm was now moving further up north.

A shiver went through Luke, bringing his thoughts back to the situation. They were cold, hurt and tired. And Luke had felt like collapsing for the past hour. However, he had not told Bo about this, knowing it would only cause him to worry while there's nothing they could do about it right now. The grey fog in his head was becoming thicker and thicker, and if they didn't move fast, he knew he would give in to the temptation and let darkness take over his worn out body.

An ear-splitting howl made a part of the fog disappear, causing both cousins to whirl their heads around, seeing another one of those creatures, albeit smaller, standing behind them. It's teeth were also revealed. And this one seemed less shy than the other, because it was slowly crawling towards them. The two heads, one blonde and curly, the other dark and unruly, turned towards each other, their eyes locking. And in an unspoken agreement both of them spoke the exact same thing at the exact same moment.

"Run, now!"

And they both jumped off the road and up the hill, scrambling up on the muddy ground. When Bo reached the top, he immediately turned back, frantically searching for his cousin. He found him halfway up, favouring his right arm against his chest, coughing loudly, trying to climb with his other arm. But somehow he couldn't seem to get any grip. And why was he shaking his leg?

It took Bo one second to realize all that, and after looking down he saw the reason of Luke's predicament. One of the wolves had gotten hold of Luke's pants leg, pulling at it with full force. Bo didn't hesitate for one second, grabbed a large stick from the ground next to him and swung it full force at the animal which was trying to take down his cousin.

The one strike hit it's target full force, and the wolf suddenly let go of Luke's pants leg looking slightly dazed.

The momentum of the force threw Luke forwards, and he could just grab hold of a root, which was sticking out of the muddy hillside, with his good arm. He lay still for a few agonizing seconds, trying to regain his breath, and control the pain which was flaring through his body. But as soon as he felt like he could move a muscle, he felt a hand firmly constrict around his good arm, partially pulling him up the slippery hill while Luke tried to put his feet under his body. And with combined efforts they got him up. Both Luke and Bo stood for a second, gasping and both supporting one another. Bo felt his bruised ribs aching from the inside, but he knew this wouldn't keep the predators below for long.

"We gotta move, Luke. You up for it?" he asked, meanwhile keeping one eye on the struggling wolves who were still trying to get up the muddy hill, slipping every once in a while. But they were gaining…

When there was no answer, Bo steadied his gaze at his elder cousin. And he didn't like what he saw. His cousin was pale, while a dark stain was still visible on the side of his head. He seemed to be in his own world, behind his glazed eyes, trying to take breaths with sharp intakes.

The coughs which wrecked his body sounded painful, but the last cough was the worst. Not because it was loud and not because it sounded like bone grinding together… But because of the blood which landed on Bo's dirty yellow shirt, leaving a small patch among the mud stains.

**Now don't that put a dent in them boys' plans? Good ol' Luke coughin up blood like that? That can't be good… Y'all keep watching now, I'll just close my eyes, and wait for the happy end to appear…**


	6. Going up?

_**A/N Phew, I made my own deadline again! And thanks to the days off I'm having, there's a big chance I'm updating a bit faster...**_

**_Somethin I forgot last chapter: A special thanks to Graywolf 84 for all the information 'bout wolves (and other critters). It was very useful, so a big southern thanks to you Graywolf! _**

_**Now on to the story y'all. Enjoy!**_

6

Both boys looked down, as if they were mesmerizing the stain, it's form and it's colour. But one sound broke their trance like state, the growling animals climbing up the steep hill.

Simultaneously they looked up, concern in Bo's eyes, a certain dullness in Luke's blue orbs. With a voice raw from coughing Luke spoke, "The trees!"

Bo nodded, he knew what his cousin meant, if they could climb one a those big ones, the wolves would probably leave them alone and go hunting for some other prey.

Unless they had already smelled their blood, then they would be lucky if those things would only bark up the tree…

Without thinking he threw an arm around his weary cousin, who was still wheezing an awful lot, and started runnin towards one of the large trees in front of them. His thoughts inadvertently drifted to the stain which was now probably imprinted in his shirt. The bright red colour would be altered to a metallic brown. As an afterthought he wondered how mad Daisy would be with such a stain.

Immediately he scolded himself for thinkin 'bout that right now. Shaking his head he noticed they had reached one of the largest trees, which was also placed close to the road, so if someone would pass, they would notice them.

Behind them, he could still hear the feral growls of the two wolves, making there way up the slippery hill.

Looking up he saw why Luke was just standing there, glancing upwards worriedly.

"I ain't gonna make that Bo," he said, clutching his chest as if he was trying to claw the pain away. He knew it was bad. It hurt to breathe, and he just couldn't seem to catch his breath. The sounds which were erupting from his own throat sounded scary, even to himself. And if those sounds didn't scare him, the bone grindin against bone-sound in his chest each time he moved, would've done it alright.

Bo looked up, seeing what his cousin meant, those branches sure were high… But Bo wasn't one to let somethin like that stop him, so he turned to Luke, who was still hunched over trying to ride the waves of pain

"You trust me cuz?" he asked, while forming a cup with his hands and lowerin his lean frame so that Luke could step into them without much movement.

A small smile tucked at Lukes lips, before he responded, "Ya know I do cuz."

Moving his feet wasn't the problem, the strength he had to use to lean on Bo's shoulder with his one good arm, caused the most pain in his roughed up torso. Biting on his lip, drawing blood, he willed the pain to the background, thinking about the wolves getting closer and closer. And if they came closer, that meant Bo had to get into that tree too, fast.

Luke grabbed the first branch he saw, still favouring his broken right arm to his chest. The strength he had to use to pull himself up, just a little bit, almost proved to be too much. But Bo seemed to sense his struggle and lifted him a bit higher. At this height, he found a small branch, just large enough to hold his weight and he put his feet on it. From there on he just forced himself to climb, and keep climbing, using all his willpower to force his stiff limbs to move.

The second Bo saw Luke grabbing on to the branch and making his way higher into the tree, he heard them.

Their gleaming eyes shimmered in the darkness of the night. The slight drizzle blurred their dark forms, but he saw them coming. And they were coming fast.

Low growls still emanated from their long muzzles, roaring into the night like the sound General Lee would make when they let him loose.

Bo didn't hesitate when he saw them coming. Grabbing on to the rough bark he pulled himself up, ignoring the ache his ribs were giving him, because he knew he would be worse of if those critters caught him.

Pulling up his stiffening leg, torn skin pulling in a painful way, he saw he had been just in time. The snapping of teeth only inches from his shoe showed him just how close the animals were.

**Ya think I can open my eyes now? Those boys just like close calls if ya'll ask me…**

With some agile climbing Bo caught up to his slower climbing dark haired cousin who had stopped a few branches further up that were big enough to hold them both.

Grabbing hold of the wet bark, Bo found a place next to his cousin, who was sitting on the branch and leaning against the coldness of the tree, wheezing. His chest ached even more now, and he didn't like the constricted feelin he had. But he decided not to tell Bo. Like before, there was nothing he could do about it now, so he forced himself to suffer in silence.

Looking down, he saw the same thing Bo saw, the two wolves, trying to grab hold of the tree, but failing miserably. So after trying to climb the tree, they started circling it in slow movements.

Bo heaved a sigh of relief, "Phew cuz, looks like we beat them critters. They's just helpless down there. With any luck they'll just go away…"

**Y'all reckon Bo's been livin in another universe all these years? Duke and luck just don't go tagether…**


	7. Sittin in a tree

_**A/N I wrote part of this chapter after listenin to the song "Carrying on like we did before" from the reunion movie by Tom Wopat and John Schneider. I recommend this song to any Duke-fan! Yeehaw!  
So, this chapter might seem a bit slow, but I'm savin up some action for the upcoming chapters. Enjoy!**_

7

Silence reverberated through the trees, only the shallow breathing of two young men could be heard. The two animals below them had backed down for now, but they had laid themselves down next to the tree. Successfully trapping the cousins in the large tree.

After a few silent moments, Bo couldn't take it any longer. He had never been one to be quiet, especially not to Luke.

"Ya think they'll leave any time soon?" he asked, the question sounding a little shaky, revealing the small amount of fear the younger Duke cousin was still feeling from this whole ordeal. But he realized, it wasn't over yet…

Turning tiresome eyes to his younger cousin, Luke saw his own feelings mirrored in Bo's blue eyes, now clouded over with fear and despair. It confirmed his earlier decision not to tell him how badly he hurt, cause that was something Bo shouldn't be worrying over right now. He was the one that should keep a clear mind, to get them out a there, cause Luke sure didn't feel like thinking with the splitting pain his head and chest were giving him… Mentally hardening his armour, something he had learned in the Marines, Luke shoved the pain to the back of his mind, where it occupied a large amount of space and turned to Bo.

"I sure hope so cuz," he said. Hearing the tightness in his own voice, he looked up, seeing Bo had noticed it too.

"Luke…" he started, worry evident in his tone, but Luke stopped him, "Don't Bo. Like I said, we cain't do anything 'bout it now. And I need ya ta keep a clear mind. Find a way outta this with me, ya hear?" At the end of the sentence, another coughing fit wracked through his body, and he wiped his mouth before Bo noticed the red fluid dripping from it. The coppery taste in his mouth sickened him, but he ignored it.

Bo nodded, knowing Luke's stubbornness from experience, he decided not to argue him. But he sure as hell was gonna keep a close eye on him. So while he was doing that, he let his mind make up several possible escape plans.

"I can distract em?" he asked Luke, but his dark haired cousin shook his head immediately.

"No way Bo, we stick tagether, like we always do, and tagether we'll find ourselves a way outta this one."

**Now I'm glad that boy still knows how to use that head of his. If that ain't the best advice I heard all day...**

The firmness in Luke's voice reassured Bo a little. Luke was right, together they always seemed to manage to get out of sticky situations. And boy, Bo sure hoped to get outta this sticky one.

The grumbling of his stomach mad Luke chuckle a little, while Bo looked up self-consciously.

"I guess those crawdad bisques would've been welcome by now," he said, "We haven't eaten anything since this morning," he added for good measure.

Luke looked down, seeing the two wolves circling the tree again, occasionally glancing up as if they knew their prey had to come down sometime.

"I'd worry 'bout that later, if I were ya. Just make sure we don't become their crawdad bisque for the day," he said, pointing below them.

Bo grinned, "As long as we're up here, and they's down there, I ain't worried," he said, false bravery resounding through his voice.

Luke smiled, his cousin always found ways to make a sticky situation seem less sticky with one of his comments. Seeing Bo cringe as he shifted his leg a bit, Luke turned his attention to the raw and bleeding gash he found there.

"Bo, you shoulda told me 'bout that leg of yours," he started, but was soon cut of with a stern look from his blond cousin. Seeing the look he got, Luke stopped talking, knowing exactly why Bo hadn't said anything.

"Ya know, after this we're gonna have ta try somethin like honesty," Luke said, leaning his pounding head against the trunk of the tree.

"Yeah, we sure do," Bo said, pointedly looking at the brownish stain on his shirt. He had found out that the longer he stared at it, the bigger it seemed to get.

Two sighs, one deep, the other shallow, sounded on the branch.

"So, we wait," was the last thing Bo said, before he joined his cousin into a comfortable, but physically painful, silence.

_Meanwhile on the Dukefarm_

"Uncle Jesse?" Daisy's sharp voice resounded through the small house, causing uncle Jesse to come running from the other room.

"What? Are they back? You alright?" he breathed, frantically looking through the almost empty room.

Despite the situation, Daisy smiled a small smile. That was their uncle for ya, he'd jump the highest fence for his 'children'. Quickly sobering up, she turned from the window towards her uncle.

"I'm fine uncle Jesse, but it's been an hour. The boys would've called in by now, somethin has to be wrong," she said, seeing the worried frown on her uncles face grow deeper.

"I know Daisy, I's just gonna CB Roscoe, and then we'll get Cooter ta help us search for em…" he said while reaching for the CB.

"This is Jesse Duke, calling Sherrif Roscoe. Roscoe you got your ears on?" Uncle Jesse gruffly said, expecting no help from those 'authorities'.

"This is Sherrif Roooscoee P. Coltrane. Why you bothering me Jesse Duke? Don't ya know we's busy cleanin up the mess from that storm here?" came the grumpy reply from their local Sherrif.

"Roscoe, you listen to me now! My boys were s'pposed ta bring back the Learson truck and be home hours ago. We's afraid somethin went wrong in that storm."

There was a long silence on the other side before Roscoe replied.

"Khew, khew, shame on you Jesse Duke! Botherin me with somethin like that. Those boys probably stole that truck to sell it. Now don't ya bother me again, or I'll cuff ya and stuff ya, ya hear! I'm gone…"

Jesse put the CB back in the handle a little harder than he used to, when it crackled to life again.

"Uncle Jesse? You still there uncle Jesse? This is Enos. Anyone there?"

Jesse quickly grabbed the CB, pressing the button, "I'm not your uncle Jesse Enos, what's wrong?"

"Well gosh, nothin's wrong uncle- uhh Jesse. I's just gonna ask if I could help y'all with searchin for Bo and Luke?""

A smile painted itself on the older man's bearded face.

"Enos, that's mighty nice of ya. Will you cover the roads north of Deerhorn Road, then we'll start searchin the road to the Learsons."

"Yes sir, uncle Jesse, sir! I'm goin right now, bye now!"

Jesse shook his head, putting the CB back a little gentler now. Turning to Daisy, he took the keys to the truck. "Let's go Daisy, we'll call Cooter on our way, he can keep an eye out too."

And with that the two Dukes left the house, not knowing what to expect, but knowing they had a goal. To find their family. And if there's something important to the Dukes, it's family…

**Awww, ain't that sweet? Those Dukeboys sure are lucky with family like that. I wish I had me some family members like that. Especially those looong-legged ones… Y'all keep watching now, ya hear, cause things 'll get mighty interesting…**


	8. Darkness

**_A/N My Carnavals present to y'all this week. Carnaval is a Dutch / German holiday, and if ya wanna know what it's like, it's kinda like Halloween. People dress up, drink loads of beer and party for 4 days... And we get one week free from school  
Well, maybe not the action you were hopin for I guess. But I hope ya like it. Enjoy!_**

8

"Luke?" Bo's whisper sounded loud in the silence of the tree. Seeing how his cousin was dozing of, he got worried. He knew that Luke was hurt, probably worse then he would let on. And he knew from experience, you couldn't let a person with injuries, especially head injuries, fall asleep on you.  
So after looking down, seeing the wolves were getting restless, growling at each other and occasionally taking a bite at one another or the tree, he decided to keep his cousin up and talking.

"Luke" he said again, this time a little louder.

Luke felt himself being pulled from the darkness he was so willing to embrace. The annoying sound seemed to come from a source close to his ear, but it sounded much further, as if someone spoke through a long tube and pointed it at him.  
He wanted to swat at the source, silently pleading for it ta just go away. The darkness was filling him, from his toes, through his chest, relieving him from the pain, leaving nothing but pleasurable numbness. The annoying sound however, wouldn't go away, buzzing in his ears as an unwanted fly on a hot summer day.  
He could make out parts of words coming through the buzz in his ears.

"-Uke…. -ke up… no sleep-… Luke… -ome back… -lease…"

Unable to recognize the words, but sensing the pleading tone that filled them, he pushed away the darkness, just far enough to find out what was wrong…

When Bo saw his cousin crack open one eye, he could have jumped and gave a big yeehaw. The last few minutes he had tried to wake Luke, not succeeding and getting more worried every second it lasted. Grabbing on to Luke's left arm, he almost physically pulled him back to reality.

With one eye open, Luke blurrily saw the dark world around him, wondering why someone would wake him in the dead of night. Was something wrong? Uncle Jesse? Daisy? Bo? Something had to be wrong, or else he would have been asleep on his soft… Wait a minute, that rough and hard thing couldn't be his pillow. And was he sitting up? Who was jostling his arm?

Cracking open the other eye, this time completely banishing the darkness that had surrounded him until now, he saw his surroundings. Closest to him he saw the blonde curls of his young cousin, wet and sticking against his head as if he had just showered. But he didn't look so clean, mud caked his shirt, face and hair. And the look in his eyes wasn't as carefree as it normally was.

As he contemplated all these things, pain crept through the dark hole he had just left, settling itself in his chest again as if it was teasing him with his newfound discoveries. And in that second, Luke remembered…

"You back with me Luke?" Bo asked, seeing the clarity return to Luke's blue eyes.

Luke hissed at the pain one single breath gave him, but nodded, "Still with ya cuz."

Bo sighed, relief flooding through his veins. But, looking at his still weary cousin, he knew his task; keeping him awake until help arrived.

"Whatta you say we keep talking here, alright? Can't have you fallin asleep in a tree now, right?" he said, trying to keep his voice as light as possible, as if he hadn't just yanked his cousin back from the claws of darkness…

"I know", Luke nodded, he had seen it in the Marines. Guys falling asleep after being injured and never waking up again. An involuntary shiver ran up his spine when he thought back of that time.

Bo saw his cousin reflect back on his past and decided this was the best time to get something out of him, something he had wanted to know for a long time now.

"Why did ya go?"

Luke didn't need a further explanation, he had expected this question ages ago. But he knew Bo had been to young to understand his reasons.

Looking up at his little cousin, now taller than him, he saw the young man he had become since Luke had joined the Marines.

"Ya know I was drafted Bo, I had ta go," he returned, knowing this wasn't exactly what Bo had wanted to hear. And after seeing the frown on his face, he knew he was right.

"Yeah, but why did ya _go_?" he asked again, hoping Luke would understand what he meant.

Riding out a wave of pain, Luke focused on the thoughts flying through his head at lightning speed. Why did he go? Why did he leave everything behind to fight a war not even his?

"Because it was the right thing ta do, I guess," after a few silent moments he continued, "in a way, it didn't seem fair to me that if other sons were going, I was to stay with my family. I mean, look at the Robertson's. Their son Henry had already left when I was drafted. What made me so much better than him?"

The question seemed to drift in mid air for a moment, before Bo nodded slowly. "I understand Luke." Seeing the look of sadness in Luke's eyes, he decided to tell him something he had never told anyone. "Did ya know I always wished I could have gone with you at that time?" he said, seeing the look of shock pass through Luke's eyes.

Luke was stunned. He knew they had always been close, just like he knew how hard his leaving had been for Bo. But he had never known Bo had wanted to join him into the depths of Hell…

"No, if you knew what happened there, you wouldn't have wished that," he said while shaking his head furiously. Luke tried to ban those memories to the back of his head. But Bo wouldn't let him.

"Why Luke? What happened there that was so bad? You know, you never did tell us the details, just some of the pranks ya pulled with yur buddies."

"It was war Bo," Luke answered, as if it was the most logical reason he could think of.

"I know that cuz, but that don't tell me nothin 'bout why you were afraid of the dark for nearly two years after your return."

Luke heaved a rattled sigh, his mental pain now fighting for the upper hand with the physical pain. Seeing the predators still circling the tree, albeit a little further away now, he decided to just tell his cousin, he had a right to know.

"You knew that huh?" he asked, seeing Bo nod slowly.

"It was a little hard ta ignore, seeing ya put on the light dozens of times a night. Remember the time we was stuck in that old Indian-cave and I dropped my flashlight?"

Luke nodded, boy did he remember that. His fears had shown their ugly head when the cave went completely dark. The only thing he could think of, before completely freaking out, was grabbing on to his cousin.

"Ya grabbed my arm so tight I had bruises for weeks. But ya never said anything 'bout it. And after a while ya slept through the nights without puttin the lights on. So I kinda let it rest."

Luke watched his cousin talk about that time in his life and he almost felt the emotions he had felt back then surge back to life.

"Ya know, I wasn't actually afraid of the dark. I was more afraid of what I couldn't see. What was lurking in that darkness." Luke fell silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts so they would form a story.

"Somethin happened when I was there, in 'Nam. Well 'sides all the bodies and friends I had ta bury. I hope you'll never know how that feels cuz. Sendin your friends back, in pieces, seein the look they had in their eyes when you failed em…" he trailed of, thinking about all the friends he had lost in that jungle.

Bo saw how Luke mentally remembered each and every buddy he had to say goodbye to. But something Luke had said caused him to interrupt his cousins pondering.

"What happened Luke? Ya said somethin happened out there?"

And with that question, Luke felt like he was warped back to his Marine days, lying in the jungle, waiting for the enemy to attack…

So that was were he began his tale. The story about how is fear of darkness started…

**Well, those boys sure know what ta do when they're up a tree, bein surrounded by wolves. But I think some talkin 'll do our Luke some good, he still don't look to fine to me… **


	9. Luke's story

_**A/N Wow, I normally never write this fast, but I guess I was inspired. I have ta say, I always love the stories about Luke and his Marine history, so I decided to add a little of that in my story.  
After this chapter it might take me a week to get the next one up, cause school's starting again and I am sooo busy. But I hope this one will get you through the week... Also, a big thanx to all my reviewers, you keep me writing guys! So thank you, you know who you are. Now let's git it on again! Enjoy...**_

9

"It happened in the last months of my service. We were under attack at the end of the afternoon. They were everywhere, we never had a chance. And after that last hit… My ears were ringing so bad, I couldn't have told ya what was up or down, left or right. The minute I regain my senses, I see Henry being hauled of by the Vietcong. As I ran to him some of them grabbed me from behind. They put somethin over my head so I was blindfolded and they bound my hand and feet tagether. Later on I found out two other soldiers from my platoon had been imprisoned as well. The walk through the jungle was terrible, it was dark, the only thing we heard was the thundering sound of mines and gunfire in the distance and the buzzing of insects. I stumbled so many times I lost count. But they were relentless, pullin us up by our wrists, dragging us when our legs refused."

Luke fell silent for a minute, breathing shallow breaths as fire spread itself through his chest with each and every breath.  
Bo saw how he was focusing on those breaths, but remained silent, waiting for the rest of the story he knew was to come. He still jumped a little when Luke started talking again, his voice raspy…

"I heard him scream before the shot was fired. God, it felt so close, I thought it was me," he continued, eyes moving towards the sky as if he could see all the answers there.  
"I couldn't see a thing, but I heard everything. I heard the bullet enter a body, I heard the thump his body made when he hit the ground. I heard him whimper when he found out the bullet didn't kill him. And I heard who he was. There was so much fear in his voice, it paralyzed me." Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Luke moved on, "I'd talked to him that morning, he had been with us for two months, and he was young. God Bo, he was just eighteen."

Bo didn't say Luke had been just three years older at the time. But he knew what his cousin meant. Nausea filled his stomach as he thought of the fears him, Daisy and uncle Jesse had had at that time. This story would probably prove them right… He focused his attention back on Luke again, who had kept on talking.

"Michael Guerin, born an' raised in Roswell New Mexico. He showed me pictures of his girl that mornin', tellin me how he was gonna see her again when he returned. But when I heard that shot, I knew: Michael wouldn't see her again. The second shot came two seconds after the first, and I swear even the insects stopped makin noise. Everything was so quiet I could hear my own heart poundin. And then I heard Henry yellin at them to take of his blindfold. A small thump got him to keep his mouth for a while."

"After that, we started walking again, or stumblin as we called it. I guess they left Michaels body in the jungle, cause when we entered their camp, he was gone. They took off our hoods and threw us in some sort of prison."

A shudder went through Luke as he remembered the time he spent in that shack. He almost decided against telling Bo, but he needed to know, or he wouldn't understand…

"It was small, probably as big as our room at the farm. It was crowded with people, most of them soldiers. But ya couldn't even recognise em, they didn't look like people anymore. It was dark in there, but somehow we could see everything. The bodies, cold and empty, the injured men, holdin amputated body parts against them, willin the pain away, the moans went on and on. And the smell… It smelt like rottin flesh and human fluids. The first night all I did was gag and throw up." Luke shook his head, as if he was clearing it from the smell that had invaded his nostrils again.

"I guess we were lucky, seein as we only had ta stay there for a week. But it was the hardest week of my life. At least, I thought so."

Bo, seeing the anguish on his cousin's face knew this had to be hard on him, remembering that time in his life. A time he himself had spent in Hazzard, missing his cousin, but going on with his life, going to school and chasing after girls.

"Luke, if ya don't want to tell me, I understand…" he began, but Luke cut him off.

"No, I need ta tell someone Bo. I never told anyone this story. Cause I thought… I thought, maybe if I never told anyone I could pretend it never happened."

Bo nodded again, seeing how this could help his cousin. He remained silent as to encourage Luke to finish his tale.

"When they took us out of that prison, Max, the other soldier, was already gone. The fever got to him and he was gone within a few days. Just withered away. And all we could do was leave him there. We just left him in that place, between all the bodies and body parts. God, I don't even know what kinds of animals lived in there. I do know they crawled all over us, and the bodies.." Luke laughed a humourless and painful laugh which came out as a sob, "Let's just say there was probably nothin left after a couple of weeks. But it wasn't over.. Somehow they discovered me and Henry were from an important platoon, so they decided to give us the special treatment. And that wasn't a good kind a special. We were both put in small cages. They were so small, all you could do was sit in them, hunched over. But worst of all, they were standin in the middle of the jungle. In the day it would get so hot I passed out a couple of times. It was almost unbearable. But the nights…"

Bo kept his eyes firmly planted on the pale face of his cousin and one hand resting on his arm. He could almost feel Luke's fears as he was there, in the middle of the jungle in a small cage, surrounded by insects and enemies. He swallowed hard, knowing the worst was probably yet to come.

"The nights were so bad I thought death would be better. The darkness was overwhelming, it covered us like a blanket so thick it made it hard to breath. Things crawled on us, they even nibbled at us. At first we yelled, and shook them off. But after three weeks out there, we were so exhausted we just let them. We let them eat at us, no matter how it hurt. It was like… Like we didn't even feel it anymore."

"The worst part was the loneliness. No one came to us. They only left little cups of rice and water once a day. We only had each other, and we used that to keep our sanity. We talked, 'bout everything, day an' night. I probably know more 'bout Henry than his own family did.  
At the end of the third week Henry was tellin me 'bout his uncle in Tennessee when I felt a sharp sting in my bare foot. I almost didn't feel it, but when Henry started yellin "Snake!" I looked down," A dry cough ran through Luke's body, but he swallowed it down. He was finishing this story even it cost him his lung.

"The little critter had already made it's way across my pants leg to our food, but two little holes just above my ankle told me another story…"

Bo gasped, as a country boy he knew how dangerous snakes could be. But, despite his deep curiosity, he kept silent, listening as Luke kept talking.

"A few minutes later I was shakin like I never had before. It was morning so the temperature was already pretty high. But I was so cold… The next few days are nothin but a blur ta me. Henry told me how I kept talkin 'bout Hazzard and Roscoe chasin me. All I remember is feelin cold all the time and wanting ta give up. I really wanted ta die back then. Anything to stop the pain and misery."

Silence flowed through the forest, leaving that statement hanging in the air, while Bo let it sink in. Even the wolves had backed down for a second, looking up with a strange type of curiosity in their eyes.

"After a few days I became a little more coherent, well, coherent enough ta see them take Henry away. They questioned him, over and over. Every time he came back, he had more bruises and broken body parts. And one time…"

All of a sudden Bo made the connection. It had been there, in the back of his head, but now Luke told him all of this he remembered something.

"Luke? Henry never came back did he? They made 'em disappear didn't they?"

Luke had a far away look in his eyes, remembering those final days in captivity as if it happened yesterday. Bo was right, Henry never came back, but he didn't disappear. Luke knew what had happened ta him.

"He uhh… He did come back, just… They brought him back the final mornin, dead. I couldn't do anything, just sit there, with my foot twice as big as normal and turnin purple an' blue. They threw him down in front of my cage, as some sort of sick message I think. And the moment one of them opened my cage, probably ta question me, I heard it. Gunfire and explosions, making the world shake, and causing our captors to turn and fight them.

I'd never been so glad to hear those things. They'd come for us. I turned towards Henry, and after seein his empty eyes somethin snapped. I still don't know how I did it, I was weaker then a newborn puppy, but somehow I dug a hole, not even that deep but deep enough. And I buried him. I buried my friend. It was the last thing I could do for him, the only respect I could show him…" his voice trailed off.

Looking at his older cousin, Bo saw the tear tracks on his cheeks, and he felt his heart constrict in his chest. He had no idea… No idea of the horrors his cousin had been through. He knew the dangers of the war, but not that his cousin had been so close… so close to never coming back. Through all these thoughts he formed a sentence,

"Who rescued ya?"

Luke looked up, almost forgetting that his cousin was still here. He had been living those moments again, just like he did in his nightmares, he relived them, over and over and over…

"Men from my platoon, together with other platoons. They killed every captor they came across, and when they found me they thought I was already dead. I couldn't form a sentence, let alone words. All I could do was look up at the shadows hoverin over me, as I was lyin on the ground next to the place I had buried Henry. I must have lost it though, cause when I woke up I was in a field hospital, tied to a bed."

"They tied ya to a bed?" Bo asked, eyes wide in shock, "Why would they do somethin like that? he asked.

Luke heaved a small sigh, instantly reminded of the spreading fire in his chest. All that talking wasn't doing him much good.

"Seems I made quite a fuss when they brought me there. Even with my injured leg I tried ta escape every chance I got. And then they'd find me outside huddled in a corner, sleepin. My leg needed ta be elevated, so they tied me down to keep me in bed. They untied me when I woke up," he added as an afterthought. "After one month in that bed, I got the call that I was ta go home again…" he finished, wiping the tears he hadn't even noticed falling, from his cheeks.

"So that's where that limp you had came from," Bo said out loud, thinking back to the time when they had picked Luke up from the bus station. His cousin had limped a little back then, but it had disappeared a few weeks after his return.

Luke nodded, seeing how things fell into place by the look on Bo's face.

"I'm glad you held on cuz. You kept yur promise to us…" Bo said, wanting Luke to know how he felt about it.

Luke looked up from his pondering, smiling a little. "I'm glad I held on too. Ya know I never break a promise."

The two cousins sat in silence again, as they were both thinking back to that time of their life. How it had changed them and formed them to the way they were now. Luke remembered Henry and how he had pulled him through it all, and silently he thanked him, for giving him the strength to make his way back. Back to his family, his home.

Leaning his head against the rough bark he felt the coolness against his forehead which was getting increasingly sweaty. Drops were pouring down his face, covering the tracks his tears had made only moment ago. The pain in his chest was growing, thumping steadily as it clawed itself a way to the inside further and further. Every shallow breath felt like thousands of needles piercing through his lung so he tried to breathe as little as possible…

"You still afraid of darkness?" Bo asked, noticing his cousin sag a little.

Luke turned weary eyes to Bo, wondering why the edges were turning grey. The sound of Bo's voice was getting far away, as the grey edges made their way to the middle of his vision. Afraid of the dark?

"No," came the soft reply, before he lost all feeling in his body, letting himself fall into that never-ending darkness…

Bo saw him slide away from him, saw his eyes roll into the back of his head, he even saw his mouth form the word "No", before he saw his older cousin, his role model, his brother, slide off of the branch they were sitting on, plummeting to the ground below, where the hungry wolves were waiting…

**Oooohhh boy, now that don't look to good. Ya think the boys can find themselves a way outta that one? They sure know how to keep me on the edge a my seat…**


	10. I keep on fallin

_**A/N Ain't that just my luck? I was searchin for some time, an' I found it! It was hidden real well, but I found it an' used it ta write this chapter... Now let's git on to the story, an' see what happened to poor Luke, who was fallin of the branch they was sittin on...**_

10

No thump could be heard as Bo looked down, expecting to see his dark-haired cousin lying on the ground being torn to shreds by the two wolves. His eyes practically bulged out of his head when he actually saw his cousin sprawled onto a branch below him…

"Luke!" No response.

"Luke!" When there still was no answer, Bo looked further down, seeing the wolves growl and jump at the tree, as if they knew what was happening.  
'Think Bo, think. How do I get us out of this? Okay, the first step is to get to Luke.'

With some difficulty Bo climbed the two branches down to Luke, who was lying stomach down on the branch, arms and legs dangling dangerously low.

The two wolves suddenly seemed alerted by something. When Bo was halfway to his cousin, he saw their ears peak and heads rise. The rushing of leaves told him they had heard the same thing he did. With one howl both animals gave him and his unconscious cousin one last look before taking of in the same direction.

Strangely enough Bo felt bad for the small rodent they were probably gonna eat. Shaking his head furiously, berating himself for thinking that instead of being happy they were gone, he cautiously stepped onto the branch Luke was lying on. The small cracking sound didn't calm his nerves one bit.

Sitting down carefully he softly touched Luke's shoulder, calling his name.

"Luke…"

"Luke, You gotta wake up cuz. Come on, the wolves are gone, now's our chance, jus' wake up cuz…" he pleaded. Nothing happened. Bo, not daring to move his cousin, inched closer to his cousin. Luke just lay there, eyes closed, barely breathing as Bo sat next to him, feeling as if he had just lost his best friend…

_Meanwhile in Jesse's truck_

"This road looks like a war raged over it!" Daisy exclaimed, while casting glances to the left and right, searching for a sign of her cousins.

"I know, I know…" Jesse said, worry evident in his voice. They had already come across three trees blocking the roads and were having difficulty avoiding all of the natural roadblocks.

"Uncle Jesse, stop!" Daisy yelled suddenly as the white truck came to a screeching halt.

Stretching out his neck, Jesse tried to see what had caught his nieces attention, but it was just to darn dark. Pointing her flashlight to the left, Daisy revealed the object that had caught her attention.

Jesse had to squint his old eyes to see what was outlined in the darkness, and even Daisy didn't recognise the thing immediately. But when they did make out what it was, two sharp gasps could be heard.

"Oh my Lord!" Jesse exclaimed, while immediately jumping out of the vehicle and running towards the unrecognisable vehicle which was laying deathly still on the road before him. As he came to a halt before the battered truck he was shocked to see how crunched the truck was. Behind him he could hear the could hear Daisy breathe hard when she saw what was left of the truck that had housed her two cousins.

"Ow, uncle Jesse…" she was silent and her hand covered her mouth as she noticed there was no one in the vehicle anymore.

"Where… where are they?"

As Jesse took a closer look at the truck, seeing the wrenched door and the bloodstains covering the inside, Daisy noticed the fading footsteps in the muddy ground.

"Well," Jesse said with a tight voice as if he was holding in the raging emotions which were tearing through his entire body, "the good news is, they got out. Bad news is, they's probably hurt."

Daisy wrapped one arm around her uncle, offering him support she also needed herself. "We'll find 'em uncle Jesse. Ya know how them boys always tend ta land on their feet?"

Jesse turned worried eyes towards his beautiful niece, "Yur right Daisy, I'm just afraid one a these days, they'll run out a their nine lives and land on somethin else…"

Together they turned towards the truck, supporting on another, bent on following the trail the boys had left behind while walking.

_In the tree_

A low moan tore through the air, tearing Bo from his pondering thoughts, turning anxious eyes to his still cousin. A slight movement in his right arm caused another painful moan to escape his body. A small twitch however, was the only other movement that was made in the seconds that Bo breathlessly watched the events unfold.

The sudden sharpness of the crack he felt beneath him, made him hold his breath even longer. Trying to sit as still as possible his mind started working in overload. 'The branch won't hold for much longer. Where are them wolves? How do I get Luke down…'

His thoughts however, were abruptly cut off when a louder and longer crack resounded through the air, causing the branch to slowly sag further and further to the ground below them. Panic surged through Bo's veins, flooding them like fire, as one last heavy crack sent him and his lifeless cousin dropping the final six feet to the ground.

A thump was heard as the two cousins landed on the soft earth beneath them, the spongy moss softening their fall a bit. A soft "oomph" escaped Bo's mouth as his rear end touched the soft earth first, causing quite a bit of pain to flare through his behind. Glancing over at Luke, for what he felt was like the umpteenth time that day, he saw his cousin lying in a heap next to him. He quickly sent a small prayer up to the Good Lord above him, praying this would turn out right, before painfully getting up on stiff limbs. His ribs still ached, but the cold had caused him to be numb for quite some time now. Straightening his stiffening leg he hobbled over to Luke.

His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he thought of the consequences this fall could have for his already battered cousin.

"Be glad you're not feelin anythin now cuz…" he murmured, putting one arm underneath Luke's good shoulder, hauling him up as far as he could, before making his way back to the road.

"I sure hope those wolves found themselves somethin ta eat, cause we sure are like sittin Dukes right now," Bo said to himself and an unconscious Luke. He smiled a little at his own choice of words.

"You woulda laughed, wouldn't ya cuz," he continued, while getting on the road again, ever so slowly. When there was no response, Bo felt the dread of the situation wash all over him again. His cousin, his best friend, heck he would even go as far as calling him his brother, was unresponsive, hanging limply at his side as he practically dragged him along.

"I'll bet ya would have loved ta sit by that warm fireplace now wouldn't ya. Playin some chess, eatin some of uncle Jesse's crawdad bisque…" Bo's voice trailed of as he thought of the way they would have spent that time, if nothing had happened. 'If nothin happened… But something did happen, and I'm not sure if we get out of it in one piece this time…"

Stumbling along on the mud covered road, dazed by all the events of the day, and physically drained from all of it Bo almost didn't notice the headlights coming from behind him, casting a long shadow in front of him making him feel as if he was in one a those bad movies Daisy always liked ta watch.

Turning around he turned hopeful eyes up, praying help had arrived…

**Now wouldn't we all wish those boys some luck? I know I do, I'd even lend them my guitar if it woulda help em get outta this sticky situation… An don't ya just hate ta see ol' Bo worryin like that? I sure hope things 'll start lookin up now…**


	11. Lost an' found

_**A/N Okay, it took me a while ta get this chapter up, cause I had me a case of writersblock. So that's the reason poor Bo has been standin in the middle of that road for about a week now... ;-) But... I found me some inspiration (mainly thanx to all the great Duke-stories on FF) and wrote the chapter. Yeehaw! Ow, and lots and lots of thank yous ta all those faithful reviewers out there, thank you so much for readin an reviewin my story! Now let's see what happens to them Duke-boys... Enjoy!**_

11

Daisy slammed on the brakes as soon as the form materialised itself in front of their truck. As they skidded a few feet before stopping she saw the strange form getting a shape. It was a man, no it were two men…

"Uncle Jesse!" she exclaimed with a high-pitched voice, the anxiety making it sound sharp in her own ears. When her uncle kept silent, she glanced sideways, seeing how he seemed to be intrigued by the shapes in front of them.

The blonde, his once light shirt and jeans stained and his blonde hair now a dirty brownish colour and sticking to his head, was staring at them, like a deer caught in the headlights. He started squinting, as to make out if the image he saw was real.

The other shape however, was completely still. Dark brown, unruly hair was all that could be seen, as his head hung low on his chest, masking his face from their observers.

When Bo recognised the old white truck, he felt such great relief he thought he would faint. His legs started wobbling and his senses started working in overload. The lights from the truck seemed to light up the entire world around him. In the distance a shrill howl could be heard as a few birds started their whistling, sensing the arrival of a new morning. The slight rumbling of the still running engine of the white truck had a soothing effect on the worn out country boy. He finally let his legs crumble underneath him, bringing down his cousin in a gentle manner, as his eyes stayed glued to the truck with the shining headlights.

Inside that truck, the spell seemed to be broken when Bo finally sagged to his knees, and the doors flew open, revealing two very familiar people…

"Bo! Luke!" he distantly heard Daisy's sweet voice, now tinged with worry and fear call out to him. But somehow he couldn't seem to find the energy to answer her.

When he also saw his elderly uncle follow his niece not far behind, he heaved a sigh of relief, knowing they were found. And as Daisy came closer, she could hear him mumble softly,

" 'S okay now Luke, they found us, 's all gonna be okay now…"

A panting Uncle Jesse came to a skidding halt inches away from his two cousins. He looked down at his youngest charge, seeing the all-compassing tiredness reflected in his eyes, while his eldest charge lay unmoving next to him, eyes closed. Knowing that questions would come later, he knelt down to put an arm around Luke, trying to haul him up, but Bo wouldn't loosen his grip…

"Bo, ya have ta let go, son," he said, his voice soft and gentle. Bo's glazed eyes seemed to get some clarity in them as he loosened his grip on his wounded cousin, so Jesse could lift him up, while Daisy supported Bo.

"Uncle Jesse? Daisy?" he murmured, as if he finally realized they were really here. He cringed as he put weight on his leg.

"We gotta get them to the hospital, Uncle Jesse," Daisy softly said as they made their way to the truck. Jesse just nodded, while he gently carried his precious load towards the car.

After carefully putting the two boys in the backseat, Jesse and Daisy, both wearing worried frowns on their faces, got in the front-seats. And no sooner as Jesse had slammed the door closed, Daisy started the car and took off like a rabbit in heat.

While Daisy kept her eyes firmly on the road, carefully avoiding the large branches and other things lying on the road, Jesse turned around, glancing over his two nephews who were sprawled on the backseat. Luke, with his eyes closed, one arm carefully folded against his chest but still bent in a strange way, blood caking the side of his head, drawing in slow, shuddering and ragged breaths every now and then. His unresponsiveness worried Jesse, and seeing the lack of breathing in the too slow rise and fall of his nephews chest caused his heart to constrict painfully in his own chest.

Looking over at his youngest nephew, he saw Bo leaning his head against the headrest, a large bump on his forehead, eyes closed but breathing deeply. Even in his sleep he looked troubled, eyebrows furrowing every once in a while. Jesse was about to nudge him, hoping to wake him before his sleep became too troublesome, but all of a sudden Bo's hand moved as if he was searching for something. When he found what he was searching for, his eyebrows straightened out and the frown disappeared. Jesse felt his heart grow just a little lighter as he saw what Bo had been searching for. His hand was now resting on Luke's arm, as if he needed to be sure he was still there.

Turning back to Daisy, Jesse took the CB to inform Try County that they were coming…

20 minutes later Bo felt someone nudge his shoulder and he jumped up, ready to fight whatever was trying to get to him or his cousin, only to see the bearded face of his uncle looking down on him from outside the truck

"Come on son, we'd better get ya inside so they's can examine ya."

It took Bo a few seconds to get his surroundings and when he discovered the empty place next to him, he turned a little panicky towards his uncle, eyes questioning him to where his cousin was. Jesse shifted a little bit so Bo could just see Luke being wheeled in on a gurney by four medics.

As soon as he saw his cousin was in good hands, his shoulders slumped, exhaustion taking over, and he let himself being helped inside, trying to put as less weight as possible on his throbbing leg, with Jesse and Daisy flanking him on both sides.

After helping Bo inside and into the Trauma room where he would be examined, Jesse and Daisy silently took a seat in the small waiting room. Both turned anxious glances at the slowly ticking clock every once in a while. After 15 minutes Daisy couldn't take it anymore and she started pacing. 15 Minutes later uncle Jesse felt himself getting dizzy from his niece's nervous wandering. When she passed him for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he put one hand up to stop her.

"Daisy, yur warin a hole in the carpet if ya keep pacin like that. Jus come an sit down here," he said, patting the seat next to him. Daisy sighed deeply before taking her uncle's offer. She sat down with her shoulders slumping, her tall frame looking quite small at the time. Suddenly she shot up, "Enos! He's probably still searchin out there…" she said, but Jesse cut her off.

"I already let im know. He's drivin up to tha Learson-farm at tell them what happened."

Sitting down again Daisy leaned her head down in defeat, seeking comfort in her uncles broad shoulders. Jesse welcomed her and patted her back softly as sniffles started to escape her.

"There, there, it's gonna be okay now. We found them boys, and now it's all up to the doctors. It'll be aright…" he murmured, his own voice trailing of, for he didn't know if what he said was true.   
Was it all gonna be alright? Or was this gonna be the first time the Duke luck wasn't going to hold? Luke had looked pretty bad and they had been out there for quite some time…

Shifting a little, he put his other arm around his still sniffling niece as they continued their vigil for their boys…

**Oh boy, I ain't never seen Uncle Jesse losin his faith before… Ya don't think it could be an omen don't ya? Cause I certainly don't like the word omen an Duke tagether…**


	12. Sorry seems ta be the hardest word

_**A/N Well, it took me some time, but I hope it was worth the wait. I had some trouble with updating it at FF, so it even took me a day longer ta get it up...  
I hope y'all like it, there is some angst, which will be continued in the next chapter, which will probably be up by sunday. ;-) But I'll let ya read now, so... Enjoy!**_

12

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the small waiting room, where two people were waiting for news on two of the most important people in their life. As a doctor stepped through the doors, both jumped up and turned questioning looks towards the elderly doc.

"Family of Beauregard Duke?" he asked, sympathy clearly visible on his weathered face.

Jesse nodded while Daisy came standing next to him, ready for anything.

"I'm his uncle, Jesse Duke" he replied softly.

"Well mr. Duke, your nephew will be alright. He had some bruised ribs and we stitched up the wound in his leg. He had a slight concussion, so we want to keep him here for the night," he ended, seeing a little part of the tension leave the faces of these people. But not all of it…

Daisy squeezed her uncle's hand softly, sensing what he was about to ask.

"An' what about Lukas Duke?" he asked, already knowing this doctor probably didn't have the answers, but he had to ask.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't have any information about a Lukas Duke, let me ask the nurse," he answered, knowing that he was probably the other patient who was brought in to the ER that morning. He sighed inwardly as he made his way towards the nurses post, while the elderly man and his young niece stayed in the exact same position. He didn't want to say it just yet, but he had known a little about the situation of the other young man who had been brought in today. His old friend dr. Whitman had told him about the nearly impossible situation he had to deal with this morning. And, knowing the two young men were the only ones being brought in that early, he was almost certain that impossible situation was Lukas Duke.

Daisy was wringing her hands when she saw the doctor talking to the head nurse. She saw the short widening of his eyes, before creating a straight face again.  
The cracking of her own knuckles woke her from her slight daze, and she watched the doctor again, seeing him walk to them, as in slow-motion.

Meanwhile, Jesse had seen exactly the same thing his niece had. He saw the slight widening of the doctors eyes when he talked to that nurse, and he saw him coming towards them again, the tapping of his shoes making the empty hallways sound hollow.

Both Dukes brace themselves for what was about to come, as the doctor neared them. As he stood before them, he saw their physical reaction to this moment clearly. Their shoulders were rigid, and they both seemed to stay close together, as if they were supporting each other by keeping as close as possible.

"Mr. Duke, Miss Duke, I can't give you a lot of information now, because they are still trying ta stabilise your nephew. He will be in ICU when they can stabilise him, and that's probably when you can see him. I'll keep you informed, alright?" he spoke, feeling compassion well up in him for this family, who were likely to be torn apart if that boy didn't come through this in one piece.

Jesse and Daisy simultaneously nodded, sensing what the kind doctor offered here.

"Thank you," Jesse said, "Can we see Bo now?" he asked, worry for both of his cousins still eating at him. And it probably wouldn't go away until he had seen both of them, safe and sound. Judging by the voice of that nice doctor, that could take some time…

As they entered Bo's room, they saw him lying in the large bed, sleeping. Dark circles were clearly visible under his eyes, and his pallor was light under his tanned face. The familiar blond curls, now dry, were still flattened on his head making him look like a different person.

While Daisy grabbed two chairs, Bo started to stir. Taking his nephews hand, Jesse wiped a stray lock of hair from his forehead.

Groaning, Bo made his way to the surface, a strange feeling of contentment washing over him as he saw the last fragments of the dream he was just leaving flash before his eyes. He had been in the General, getting ready to go somewhere, somewhere safe and warm, and Luke was waving at him from a short distance. He looked healthy, no more signs of the sickly colour he had when they were stuck in that tree and no more blood could be found on him. Laughing out loud, just like his cousin was doing, Bo geared up the race-car and rode into the sunset, turning around once to see his cousin still waving and smiling. As he gave a big 'yeehaw' Bo felt the reins of sleep letting him go, and he made his way to the soothing voice that was positioned above him.

Opening his eyes, he closed them again when the bright light attacked his blue orbs, sending sharp pains to the back of his skull.

"It's awright Bo, jus open em slowly," his uncle Jesse coached him, seeing the blue eyes open once more, albeit slower this time.

"Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked, surprise evident in his voice, as his uncle's weathered face started to focus in front of him.

"That's it son, we're here now," he spoke softly, the soft tone not escaping Bo's clouded thoughts, as he started to remember how he got here.

"Luke?" he asked immediately, worry for his cousin filling his entire being. He had been alive when they found them, but he had no idea how much time had elapsed since he had felt the hands of sleep pulling him under.

The look Jesse and Daisy exchanged, told Bo things he almost didn't want to know. His eyes clouded over and an unbearable amount of pain filled them.

"He ain't… He ain't-?"

His voice drifted of, as the question seemed to hang in the air, until Daisy took Bo's hand.

"No sugah, we ehh, we don't know yet, they's still workin on him…"

Bo allowed a small amount of relief to wash over him, it wasn't over yet…

Settling back in the pillows he let the tiredness take over again, his head feeling heavy as the clouds in his head thickened once more. One thought however, held him back from total surrender, and made him speak out one request.

"Y'all wake me right, when… when somethin happens, good or bad?" he murmured, already half asleep.

Both Jesse and Daisy nodded solemnly, knowing how Bo must feel right now, cause they all felt the same. And if their nephew didn't make it through this, they had no idea what would happen to their family.

**I don't know what y'all been thinkin, but I can't keep from worryin bout poor Luke, fightin fur his life in that cold Emergency Room…**

_2 Hours later_

Three Dukes were sitting around in the small hospital room where Bo had woken up again after 2 hours of fitful sleep. An awkward silence filled the room, as every occupant felt the same worry flowing through their veins. Every time a nurse or doctor entered the room, or walked by, three heads flew up, turning towards the door. Disappointment filling their looks every time it was the wrong one.

When the door opened for the umpteenth time only one face turned, expecting to see another nurse carrying syringes or other torture devices. This time however, the elder doctor who had spoken to Jesse and Daisy two hours earlier, entered the small sterile hospital room carrying a chart.

"Mr. Bo Duke, good ta see you awake, I see the nurse already examined you?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Bo answered curtly, other questions filling his head at this moment.

Seeing the expecting looks on all three faces, doctor Ramirez decided to just come out and tell them what he knew.

"I have spoken to doctor Whitman, and he has cleared me to tell you the situation as it is for now."

As the doctor paused a second, Bo felt the cold fingers of fear take hold of his heart again. Taking a hold of himself he turned his eyes up, seeing the same looks on his niece's and his uncle's face. When the doctor started speaking again, he turned his full attention to him, no matter how bad his head hurt or how bad his heart was _gonna_ hurt, he had to know…

**Now ya can see them Dukes care 'bout each other, an' their bond 's thicker then water. So let's listen ta the doc, cause he's the only one who can tell us how ol' Luke's doin…**

"I'm real sorry to be the bearer of this kinda news, but your nephew isn't doin that well, mr. Duke."

The collective gasp coming from the three Dukes made the doctor pause for a moment. He really hated to do these kind of things, but it was a part of his job.

"We lost him a few times in the Emergency room, because his broken ribs had punctured one of his lungs. When he didn't get any help soon after the accident, his lung started ta fill with blood, a condition we call a hemothorax. Because the bleeding got so severe, your nephew went into hypovolemic shock, causing the other lung to collapse too," another pause made the Dukes fear the worst. Jesse decided to be the one to ask the dreaded question.

"Is he, uhh, did he… He still with us?"

Seeing the pain, already visible in their eyes, doctor Ramirez told them the rest, "I'm sorry, but he slipped into a coma, and we ain't sure if he'll ever wake up…"

**Don't that put a dent in my wishful thinkin… Folks, what you see here is the first time a Duke might be at the end of his nine lives. I'm a hopin he's got one hidden somewhere, cause one Duke in the General Lee wouldn't be tha same.**


	13. Visiting hour

_**A/N First of all, sorry for the shortness of this chapter, it's kind of a filler chapter, but... there's angst, so if you're in to that, you'll like it! I still ain't sure if this story will need a tissue-warning or not, but I think that if I let Luke die, some people will not be so happy with me... Ducks away for the flyin tomatos  
Once again, thanks for all the encouraging reviews, they really keep me writing! The next chapter will probably take about a week, because school is a ...#$... wel ya know what I mean. ;-) In the meantime, enjoy the story, and I'll try ta make my deadline...**_

13

A feeling of complete and utter emptiness took hold of Bo's heart, the minute those words left the doctors mouth. The air inside the small hospital room seemed to breathe the pain and worry the inhabitants felt at that moment. As if feeling this, doctor Ramirez coughed softly and turned around to quietly leave the room to give this family some space. One request however, stopped him.

"Can we see him?"

Turning around to face these family members, with pain etched on their faces and worry lines covering their foreheads, he told them that they could see their cousin, albeit one at the time.

He was probably the only surprised one in the room, when Bo Duke sat up and started to swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Wait a minute, you can't get up yet-," he stated, just as Bo's carefully stitched leg gave away from underneath him. While Jesse caught his right arm, doctor Ramirez took the other, gently but firmly guiding the protesting young man back into the small hospital-bed.

"Ya don't understand, I gotta go see him," turning towards his uncle, Bo laid pleading eyes on him, "Uncle Jesse? Please, it's my fault he's in there, jus lemme go see him?"

The painful look in his nephews eyes tore at Jesse's old heart, but a question popped into his head, as he pondered Bo's words.

"Whatta ya mean when ya say it's your fault Bo? That storm wasn't anybody's fault."

Bo shook his head vehemently, "Uncle Jesse, I crashed that truck, an' if I'd gotten Luke the help he needed sooner, he'd be fine!" he exclaimed, feeling hot tears fill his eyes at the thought of loosing his cousin like this.

"Now you listen ta me boy," Jesse spoke with a certain clarity in his voice, "Ya didn't know that storm would be that big, an' ya did everything ya could ta keep yur cousin safe, from what I heard. Now stop beatin yourself up 'bout this an' be there for Luke, cause he sure as heck is gonna need us, now more than ever."

As Jesse ended his speech, he seamed to deflate in front of them, sagging stiffly into the chair standing behind him.

"Now," he said, turning his eyes towards the doctor, "is there anyway my nephew can see Luke? Those two are closer then two foxes in a henhouse, so it 'd be mighty nice if y'all can figure a way ta get him there?" he asked, with a small twinkle in his dull eyes, knowing the doc wouldn't let this request slide.

Bo sighed a sigh of relief when he saw the small nod doctor Ramirez gave before saying,

"I'll get you a wheelchair, and then I'll take y'all to him."

**Now what did I tell ya? Uncle Jesse ain't the Duke patriarch fur nothin. I'll bet he could talk Luke outta his coma without breakin a sweat… Hmm, I'm startin ta think it 'd be a good idea for them ta go see Luke, it might do him a world a good.**

Although Bo had set his heart on seeing his cousin, didn't mean he wasn't afraid. After stepping in the wheelchair doctor Ramirez had brought him, it only took a few minutes for them to reach the ICU, the air smelling of antiseptic while the soft beeping of machines could be heard from the several occupied rooms. Hearing those sounds in this cold and silent atmosphere, Bo suddenly lost his nerves. Did he want to see his cousin lying in here? Maybe dying in here? A slight shiver wracked his body, but the wheels underneath him kept rolling. And he didn't stop them, because the need to see Luke was always stronger then his fears were…

They came to stop in front of a small room, with blinds covering the window, so it was impossible to look inside. Dr. Ramirez turned to the three Dukes,

"Now, he probably don't look like himself now, with his broken arm and the bandaged wound on his head. There are a lot of machines in there, all attached to him, but they are there so we can monitor his condition all the time," he ended, seeing how these people only wanted to see their family member, not hearing him talk about him.

Taking the wheels of his wheelchair, Bo looked up at his uncle, searching for the sign that he could go in.

"You go in first Bo, tell im we love im…" he said to his youngest nephew, putting a weathered hand on his shoulders, unconsciously giving Bo the support he needed.

While Jesse and Daisy stayed outside, doctor Ramirez opened the door and Bo wheeled in, coming to a sudden halt when he saw Luke, lying in the hospital bed, looking like something out of a bad horror movie.

Tubes sneaked from under the sheets, going to all kinds of machines that were making whirring sounds while other ones were beeping steadily.   
The whiteness of the sheets almost resembled the paleness of Luke's skin, which was almost entirely covered with bandages and breathing tubes. A large cast covered his right arm, which was resting on top of the sheets.

Shaking off the momentary shock, Bo noticed how the doc had moved him so he sat next to the bed, and was now able to take Luke's uninjured hand into his. Looking around, he also noticed the doctor had made a silent exit, and he was grateful for it. He needed some time alone, because all the emotions whirling inside of him threatened to come out of each and every pore of his body.

And so he sat there, his head bowed, finally letting the whole heaviness of the situation get to him. As it sank in, he couldn't hold back the one thing he had been able to hold back this entire time. Silent tears started to roll down his cheeks, dripping onto the sheet below him, while a large shudder wracked his body as a sob made itself known.

Turning his wet eyes up to look at his cousins still face, bandage covering his head and a breathing tube filling his mouth, he couldn't help but feel the desperate need to talk to his cousin like he always did when things went bad. But this time that wasn't possible…

"You jus got ta get back to us cuz. We's all worried real bad, and ya know what? We didn't make it through all that to loose ya now. Remember what ya said when we were stuck in that tree? Ya said you 'd keep the promise ya made before ya went to the marines. Ya kept that promise when ya came back from the marines, but ya also have at keep it now," sniffling a little, Bo ended his plea. Seeing the stillness in Luke's face told him this wasn't working. But, being no quitter, Bo kept talking.

He talked about the farm, the General Lee and the town. He talked about the time Luke was in the marines, and how he had spent his days going to school and waiting for letters to arrive. He talked until his throat felt hoarse and only stopped talking when the door opened, revealing doctor Ramirez and uncle Jesse.

"Bo? It's time ta rest now," the doctor said while slowly taking the handles of the wheelchair, turning it around.

Bo gave Luke's hand one last squeeze before turning to his uncle, a look of utter hopelessness in his watery eyes, "I tried uncle Jesse, I tried but…"

Putting his hand on Bo's shoulder, Jesse gave him a small smile, "I know son, I know."

Seeing his uncle sitting down next to Luke, Bo felt a small amount of relief going through him, knowing Luke wouldn't be alone anymore. And knowing Daisy, Bo realized she would be going in this room too, when she had the chance.

With that knowledge Bo let himself being rolled out by the caring doctor, who made sure Bo got to his room, where the reins of sleep claimed his troubled mind once again.

**I can't help but be worried 'bout those boys. With Luke in that darned coma, and Bo blamin himself for it, that jus don't look good. If Luke would jus pull through… I'll tell ya, if that boy doesn't wake up, I ain't ashamed ta say I'd shed a tear. Lots of em…**


	14. A beautiful mind

**_A/N Y'all know this little mathproblem? Time + Inspiration: One exciting chapter!  
I sure hope y'all like this chapter, cause I wrote it in record time, and I don't say this a lot, but I really like it... I'll leave a little note at the end, cause goshdarnit I couldn't help it... Enjoy!_**

14

The next day Bo was to be released from the hospital, although he still had a nagging headache, and throbbing ribs. And even though he hated hospitals, all Dukes were surprised to hear him say he wanted to stay. The reason however, was clear to all of them… Luke.

After talking to his doctor, they decided he could stay for one more night, to get his strength back a bit. But getting his strength back, was the last thing on Bo's mind that day. When uncle Jesse and Daisy had returned to the farm, which had been neglected for the past few days and the chores still had to be done, Bo was allowed to visit Luke a little longer, and more often.

Those visits were both uplifting and depressing, cause Luke still looked the same, still and pale. But seeing him alive was also a source of hope.

At the end of that afternoon Bo was sitting in the chair next to Luke's bed, doing what he had done the entire day, talking. With some pauses in between, that was his task that day. Luke always told him he talked to much, but now he tried to use that to get Luke to come back to them. Telling him how pretty the nurses were, but also talking about feelings he didn't always share with his cousin.

"Ya know I was jealous of you when ya got ta learn how ta drive in that old truck uncle Jesse had bought 10 years ago. As a matter of fact, I used ta be jealous of ya a lot when we was younger. You always seemed ta be good at everything you did, while I…" he chuckled a little as he remembered those times, "well I used ta need a little time to find out I wasn't good at everything I tried. And when ya went to war, I almost thought you would be invincible. Cause you always were invincible ta me… "

Looking at the pale face with the dark circles underneath the eyes, he realized how wrong he had been. Luke was nowhere near invincible. But he already knew that, he just wished he wasn't confronted with it this way.

"But when ya got back from 'Nam, I saw how you'd changed. I didn't know how, but somehow you were different. The first few days I was afraid that I'd changed too much, but somehow, we both was changed. I'd grown up; I had learned how ta drive, I graduated, I was old enough ta drink, an' I even had my first girlfriends…

An' when ya came back, I was so happy and so relieved, but… To be honest, I was also a little scared. Scared that my great life was gonna change again. That I would feel inferior ta you again. An' I was so ashamed that I felt that way. I mean, you were back, and I was real happy, but somehow that nagging feeling stayed with me for a few weeks.

But when I saw how you'd changed, how you was afraid of the dark, how you were so silent, I found out that we didn't have ta be the same. I could live my life, an' still be close ta you, without feeling that resentment…" trailing off, Bo let the silence fill the room again, before stepping over to a lighter subject.

"The storm really managed ta wreck a lot in town. Roscoe told us how the Boars nest had all its windows blown out. An' ya know what? In town only the sheriffs station was really damaged. I guess Boss' is havin a full-blown meltdown right about now," chuckling softly Bo thought about the farm, and all the work that was waiting for them.

"I'm a guessin I can't be here a whole lot in the next few days, but I sure as heck am gonna try cuz. It's jus that uncle Jesse needs all the help he can get right now, 'specially since we kinda spilled a lot of the crops when we crashed the Learson truck," Bo finished with a small sigh, "if ya'd jus wake up, it'd be a whole lot easier. We wouldn't have ta worry that much anymore an' you 'd be able ta heal, and finally go home… " Bo finished, letting the silence rule the room again.

Bo didn't know how much time had elapsed until the door opened and the nurse signalled that it was time ta leave again. Squeezing Luke's hand one more time, Bo carefully stood up, giving his cousin one last look-over when he saw the small twitch in Luke's finger. The moment he looked up expectantly a more alarming sound reached his ears. The once steadily beeping machine was now started to beep faster and faster, until all he heard was one long steady beep…

"Sir you have ta move, now," one of the nurses hurriedly said as she ushered him out. Bo turned frightened eyes towards the doctors who were frantically pushing on Luke's ribcage while grabbing paddles to shock his cousin back to life.

His eyes stayed glued to the scene, even when they had shut the door. Through the window, he could see everything. He saw how they injected syringes in his IV's, but the most disturbing thing was the shocks. Luke's body jerked up, every time they sent a jolt through his already battered body. And Bo flinched every time his cousin shot up.   
It all seemed to go on for just a minute, while it was in fact almost half an hour. After those 20 minutes all activity suddenly ceased inside the small room. Holding his breath Bo could hear his heart beat wildly in his chest as he saw the doctors put the paddles back. He couldn't hear a thing through the closed door, so he didn't know why they stopped. Did they bring him back, or…

Bo's eyes franticly followed all the movement in the room, his head following his eyes in small movements. The movements ceased however, when he saw it…

The doctor pulling the sheet up, higher and higher, over Luke's bandaged chest, over his shoulders, and finally, over his face.

"Oh Lord no," Bo murmured as his legs started to sway, feeling like someone had put jelly into them.

As the doctor opened the door, facing him with a great sadness in his brown eyes, Bo only saw the body of his cousin, sprawled on the bed, underneath the sheet.

"I'm so sorry, his injuries were just too severe…" doctor Ramirez told him, his own sadness making his voice sound rough.

"Do you eh, do you want me ta call yur family, son?" he asked, taking the slight nod Bo gave him as a sign to leave the young man with his grief. Putting one comforting hand briefly on the boy's shoulder, he felt the waves of grief rolling off of him, and he had to step back. Giving the blonde one last sympathetic look, he turned to find the phone. He had one difficult phone call to make…

Staring through the opened door, Bo's eyes were still glued on the still form lying on the bed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had heard the doctor, but it didn't get through all the way.

Making his way into the now cold and empty room, the tears blinding his vision into a swirl of colours and shapes, Bo managed to find the only bed standing in the room.

The bed which held the lifeless body of his older cousin. Letting his tall frame fall into the empty seat where he had sat that entire afternoon, he kept looking at the form on the bed. One pale hand was hanging over the edge of the bed, giving the scene an aerie look.

As the first tear escaped Bo's eye, others followed. He ran one hand through his curly blonde hair, while his other grasped the icy cold hand coming from underneath the snow-white sheet.

Huge sobs broke his body as the reality of the situation hit him full force, and he put the cold hand against his warm cheek, hoping to get a small movement out of the stiffening limb.  
A feeling of rage started to fill him however, after several minutes of sobbing in that position…

"How could you?" He yelled, looking up at the ceiling, as if he could see through it. "How could ya take him away!"

With the white hot rage going through him at that moment, Bo couldn't think rational anymore. Ripping the sheet from the dead body of his cousin, Bo saw the destruction. The breathing tube hanging next to Luke's face, the dark bruises, sticking out in comparison to the unnatural white skin, and the unruly black hair, now hanging slack against his head.

The sight turned his stomach around, and he turned away, for the first time in his life unable to look at his cousin. This flared his anger more, and the only way he knew how to vent is was with brutal force.

Grabbing the tray of food he had gotten an hour earlier, he threw it across the room, letting it land against the once white wall. The curtain was ripped from the rail it was hanging on, as he trampled it underneath his booted foot. After 5 minutes of rampage the room looked like a hurricane had went through it.  
Exhaustion started to take over, and he sagged against the far end of the wall, facing the bed which held his dead cousin.

His stomach revolted against the movements, and grabbing the dented trashcan he vomited, emptying himself of the contents which hadn't been in his stomach for long.

After dry-retching for about an hour, he let himself fall back against the wall further and further.  
The wall became soft as Bo kept sagging further, feeling the softness dissolve around him. At one point however the feeling of softness behind his back disappeared and he fell backwards. And he kept falling, deeper and deeper as darkness claimed his mind…

# 01010101 #

A loud crash resounded through the hospital room as Bo fell backwards, tumbling out of his chair.

Lying on the ground next to the hospital bed, his eyes flew open as one distinctive sound reached his ears. Shaking his head to clear it from all the cotton which seemed to fill it, he slowly sat up, seeing the room was still in one piece.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Whirling around, he saw the machine making the beeping sound, still going strong.

"What… How?" he murmured, still not grasping what was going on.

**Are y'all thinkin what I'm a thinkin? I think yur right, poor Bo was probably more tired then he thought…**

He turned towards the bed, expecting to see the dead body he had seen just minutes earlier. But instead he saw something different. He saw blue eyes, gazing up in confusion at him. He saw his cousin, alive and… Awake!

Not quite able to comprehend everything he only murmured one thing, still trying to loose the cobwebs filling his head,

"A dream… It was only a dream…"

__

_**Now did ya see this one coming? I really fooled y'all, didn't I? Sorry, but I jus couldn't help myself... Thanks for readin, and I'll try ta update as soon as possible. Y'all come back now, ya hear?**_


	15. I had a dream

**_A/N: I made it again! School is really buggin me right now, so the updates may take me a while, but... I got a little somethin somethin for y'all: this chapter! Ow and a funny fact:  
Here in Holland there is a new commercial, starring: The Doeks uut (from) Hasselt... Sound familiar? They are a Dutch hilbilly version of the famous Dukes, and they are telling us how to drive safe, modern and nature-friendly! Ain't that a hoot? Well, I thought it was funny... Only one problem, they ain't as hot or cool as the real ones. :S Ah well, let's just git on to tha story. Enjoy!_**

15

The feeling of a large object being stuck in his throat was almost enough to make Luke want to gag. But somehow he was unable. Just like he was unable to open his eyes, or fight his way through the thin grey clouds filling his mind. He felt a slight pressure on his hand, as if someone was holding it. When this pressure increased so much it hurt, Luke knew he had to find a way to come to the surface. But somehow, something was holding him back. The sensation of someone real heavy sitting on his chest became almost unbearable. But still, the thought of the person holding his hand so tight was unnerving. What if something is wrong?

The moment that question popped into his fuzzy mind, the hand suddenly squeezed real hard and loosened. The next second there was a loud crash as if someone fell over and his hand was free.

Confusion wracked Luke's hardworking brain. Why did he have to go to the surface? How did he get in this dark place where he couldn't even open his eyelids?

While all these questions made his head hurt even more, the curiousness got the better of him, and he put even more effort in getting his eyes open, which wasn't easy sensing how they seemed to be glued shut.  
After a few seconds, as the pressure in his chest continued to ache, one eye cracked open and a few seconds later, enormous force opened his other heavy eyelid.

Blinking a few times, he tried to get his bearings. The room was white and small. Around him he heard the whirring of machines, and one loud insistent beeping. A slight shuffling besides him made him try and turn his head, which proved to be too much strain, cause his muscles didn't seem to listen to his mind's demands. Settling for following the form with his eyes, Luke recognised the form almost immediately as it stood up, rubbing its eyes as if he came from a deep sleep just moments ago.

And if Luke was shocked to see his young cousin here, looking like he had just went through hell and back, the look in Bo's eyes told him that he was just as shocked to see him. But why?

And then he spoke, "A dream… It was only a dream…", while Luke could only look at him with confusion in his tired blue eyes. Wondering what had happened to Bo, why he looked that drained. Heck, even what had happened to him, and how he came to be in this here hospital bed.

**Now ain't that a way ta wake up for a Dukeboy? He ain't opened his eyes for a minute, an' the boy is already worried 'bout other people. Ya know, those Dukes have an unhealthy way of lovin an' carin for each other, but ya know what? I wouldn't have it any other way, da you?**

The second thought that entered Bo's clouded mind was one that filled him with joy. Those confused blue eyes belonged to his cousin!

Shaking the nerve-wracking images of his dream to the back of his head, he concentrated on what was in front of him: his cousin, wide awake!

"Luke?" he asked, still a little unsure that this wasn't a dream, while the other dream could have been reality.

When Luke heard his cousin speak, his voice wavering and sounding unsure, his confusion grew. Why would Bo be insecure? And who was sitting on his chest?

Looking down, he almost expected Boss Hogg to be sitting on him, but after letting his eyes drift downwards, he only saw white sheets covering his body.

Looking up again, he saw how Bo had slowly made his way towards the bed, treading slowly as if he was afraid the bubble would burst.  
As Bo stood next to his cousin, he immediately took hold of his uncooperative hand again, still afraid this would all turn out to be a hallucination…

The moment Bo felt the warm hand underneath his fingers, a swell of feelings bubbled up in his heart as the final shards of his dream disappeared from his head.

"Luke you's awake!" A million thoughts raced through him and he wanted to know if his cousin was alright, but he knew Luke couldn't answer them, because the breathing tube was still in its place. Instead, he reassured his older cousin, still seeing the confused look in his stormy blue eyes.

"It's okay now, we's safe, you're safe. Uncle Jesse an' Daisy found us, you's in the hospital now," Bo finished in one breath. Seeing the frown disappear from Luke's forehead, he knew he had gotten through to him.

As the confusion made place for understanding Luke tried to keep his eyes open, but it almost seemed like an impossible task. They kept falling shut, but he opened them again every single time. Afraid that it was all a dream, that they were still sitting in that darned tree, waiting for them wolves to disappear. Or worse… That he was still in that jungle, trapped inside that small cage, like an animal, sweating and shaking at the same time. Praying for the relief he never got.

As if Bo noticed his discomfort, he felt him softly squeeze his hand.

"It's okay, sleep. I'll be here," he softly said as Luke finally gave in to the overwhelming urge to sleep. In a voice so soft Luke almost didn't hear it through the clouds of sleep, Bo said, "I'll always be here cuz, always…"

**Aww, ain't that sweet? I'm a bettin those boys 'll be joined to tha hip for the rest of their lives. They always were, an' if someone or somethin tries ta come in between? Well, I think y'all know that's one of tha things that's most likely not ta happen in Hazzard County…**

After Luke let his eyes drift close for the final time, and kept them close, Bo sat there for a good twenty minutes before he jumped up. A thought hitting him, while at the same time his muscles objected to the sudden movement.

Carefully, he laid Luke's hand back on the sheet, as he made his way out of the dimly lit room. Turning around at the doorstep, he took one more look at his bedridden cousin.

"I'll be right back cuz, don't go nowhere now, ya hear?"

And while his voice seemed light, he meant what he said. Remembering his dream and the way Luke _did _go somewhere… He shook of the small shiver as he made his way to the nurses station.

"Uhh, ma'am?" he asked the head nurse, a bulky, broad shouldered woman with more hair on her chin then Bo had on his head. He wasn't about to confess that he was a little afraid of her.  
A small grunt gave Bo the only sign that she had heard him.

"My ehh, my cousin jus woke up," he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he said this. According to doctor Ramirez the chances had been slim to none that Luke would ever wake up. But he had…

Luckily, the subject of his thoughts just came walking around the corner, as Bo hobbled to him.

"Doc! He woke up! Luke woke up," he exclaimed when he was only half way to the old doctor.

Smiling at the vibrant young men, who had been merely a shell of himself these last few days, dr. Ramirez made his way to him, so they met in between.

"He woke up jus a few minutes ago, but he's asleep now," Bo added for good measure.

"Easy now son, I'll go and examine him right now. But if what yur sayin is true, then we may have a miracle on our hands here," he said, still smiling as he went inside the small hospital room of mr. Lukas Duke.

Bo turned around, satisfied as he had fulfilled one of the two things he set himself up to do. Seeing the pay-phones on the other end of the hall, he made his way to one of them. Punching in the familiar numbers he waited until someone picked it up.

"Duke residence, Jesse Duke speakin," came the almost immediate answer.

"Uncle Jesse? It's Bo," Bo said, falling quiet for a few seconds, because for once in his life he didn't know how to say something.

As the silence continued for a few seconds, he could hear uncle Jesse's concerned voice coming through the receiver.

"Bo? Somethin wrong? Is it Luke?"

"No, no! I mean, yeah…" shaking his head, Bo let out a chuckle, "He woke up uncle Jesse, Luke woke up!"

As the other end kept silent, Bo wondered if his uncle even heard him. That is, until he heard a huge "Whoopie!"

"We'll be right there Bo, jus hold on, we're a comin!" was the last thing Bo heard as his uncle hung up, probably to tell Daisy while already getting in the car.

Still chuckling about his uncle's antics Bo made his way back to the room where he had been camped out for the biggest part of the day, only to see the doctor coming out, the smile he had worn on his face earlier was gone. Instead, a frown had formed itself there, as his eyes met Bo's questioning ones.

"What's wrong?"

**Uh-oh, that ain't right. Wasn't that good ole doc smiling when he went ta check on Luke? That ain't no smile he's wearin now…**


	16. Comin home

**_A/N. The final chapter! I have ta say, I'm a little sad it's over. But there's another story brewin, an' I'm already writin it. I want ta thank all the faithful reviewers for taking their time ta read and review my story. I've never had so many reviews on one story! Ow and thanks for adding me to that wonderful C2 community, I feel real honoured 'bout that... One little fun fact 'bout this chapter. If there are any Lost-fans, try ta find the reference to that wonderful show. Virtual cookies for the first one ta spot it!  
Well, let's git on to the story one more time... Enjoy!_**

16

"What's wrong?" Bo asked, a sudden bout of queasiness swirling in his stomach, as he saw the doctor's frown deepening.

Letting out a small cough, dr. Ramirez turned towards the young man who had been sitting with his cousin for most of the day.

"Well, your cousin did wake up, an' that's a real good sign, but I'm worried 'bout his temperature, it's skyrocketing right now, and it could be the first signs of pneumonia settin in."

"An' if it is?" Bo asked, feeling down all over again, "I mean, will he be okay?"

"His chances are a lot better now then they were last night, cause he woke up, so that's a good sign. We're just gonna keep an eye on him, and start givin him some medication which 'll help him fight off the pneumonia," his eyes softened a bit as he continued, "Seein how strong he had ta be to wake up, I'm thinkin yur cousin will be alright mr.Duke. You go in an see him now, I'm guessin your other family members 'll be here soon, so I'll send em in when I see em, okay?" the doctor said, a small twinkle in his dark brown eyes.

Bo gave the doc a grateful look, "Thank ya doc," he said before entering the room again to keep Luke the company he needed.

**That good ole doc sure had me shakin in my boots there for a while. I sure hope this 'll be the turnin point for them boys. A Duke can only have so much bad luck…**

When Jesse and Daisy entered the hospital, which they had reached in record time, they hurriedly ran upstairs, no longer out of worry, but out of joy. After entering the ICU, doctor Ramirez told them what he had told Bo, putting a small dent in their joy as they went in to sit with Bo who was sleeping in his chair…

For three days Luke mostly slept, morphine keeping him from waking up a lot, causing him to linger in a restful slumber. The three people sitting in his room most of the time, talked to him, slept or waited, not leaving their bedridden cousin alone for long.

After the third night of improvement, Luke was transferred to a regular room, where a lot of the machines were unhooked. He looked healthier, the paleness of his skin had turned into a slight pinkish colour and the tube had been removed from his throat, leaving it raw and painful, as a small tube hooked up to his nose provided for the oxygen he couldn't quite get in yet.

The whole family was sitting in the hospital room that evening, Bo in his own clothes by now, as he had been back to the farm a few times the last couple of days. His ribs were still a little achy, but he managed to do small chores on the farm.

Daisy was reading her magazine, while Uncle Jesse and Bo were playing a game of chess when a moan from the hospital bed caught their attention. Luke was obviously having a nightmare, tossing his head from left to right slowly, sweat forming on his forehead as he started mumbling.

"I don't know nothin… please… Henry… I didn't…so sorry…"

As Jesse and Daisy looked at each other in wonder, not knowing what he was talking about, Bo got the meaning of those words. He got the meaning so good, that he decided that wasn't a nightmare Luke should be stuck in right now.  
Getting up he gently touched his cousin's shoulder, guiding him back to reality.

With a sudden jerk, which hurt his ribs, Luke woke, his eyes glazed over as if he was still stuck in that dream world.

"Luke? It's okay, you ain't there no more," Bo spoke softly, catching Luke off guard as the final clouds of nightmarish images left his mind.

"How did ya-?"

"Ya talk in yur sleep cuz…" Bo said, a twinkle in his eyes as he continued, "Ya never wondered how I knew the names of all yur girlfriends? Ow an' the place ya stashed yur piggybank when we was youngins?"

This made Luke smile a little, his cousin had a way of doing that. Cheering him up when he needed it. As he was thinking that, a yawn forced itself upon his lungs, making him flinch, even as his eyes started to close.

Jesse and Daisy watched their exchange with amusement and wonder. How did Bo know what Luke was talking about?

Deciding they should let Luke sleep some more, Jesse didn't bother asking questions, but he made a mental note to get back to it some other time. Guiding Bo and Daisy out of the room he turned questioning eyes towards his youngest charge, knowing he wouldn't tell everything, but at least he would know something.

Seeing his uncle's questioning look, Bo knew what he meant. He also knew Luke would tell them himself some other time. He could only provide some solace for now.

"When we was up in that tree? We talked…" he said, seeing how his uncle understood.

"Now ya know I ain't tellin ya ta tell me things ya don't wanna tell, but I'm jus curious… What did ya talk 'bout son?"

"Ow we talked 'bout a lot uncle Jesse. Girls, our lives, Vietnam…" he let the sentence linger in the air, as the importance of those words hung between them.

Jesse nodded, suddenly realizing the meaning of those words. Luke was a closed off person, not one to open up a lot. After his time in the marines, Jesse had been worried for a while. He knew about the nightmares his nephew was having those first months, and he had noticed the limp Luke had when he came home. After trying to talk to the stubborn young man dozens of times, he had given up.  
Keeping a constant eye on his eldest charge, seeing how he adjusted to his life in Hazzard slowly, the worry slowly disappeared to the back of his mind. But he knew that the whole war thing would come back ta haunt him some time in the future. It was only logical that he confided in Bo when that time came. And the old man was glad that he did.

Not asking any further, the Duke family lapsed into comfortable silence, making their way to the small cafeteria for dinner.

_One week later_

Staring at the ceiling wasn't all what it was cracked up to be. And Luke could know. He had been lying here, no longer under the influence of the mind numbing morphine, for 8 days, 15 hours, 16 minutes and 23...24...25 seconds.

When the cracks in the wall started to move, Luke knew it was time to leave. And if he was lucky, that was exactly what the good ole doc was coming to tell him when he entered his room after counting off second 42...

Bo entered the hallway just as the doctor left Luke's room, a big smile on his face.

"What's got your face so bright taday, doc?" Bo asked the nice doctor who had become a close family friend this past week and a half.

"Hi Bo, well your cousin was real glad ta see me. Especially since I told him he could go home tomorrow…"

This earned him a big grin from the young Duke boy, as well as a clap on his back.

"Why, that's great!" Bo exclaimed, earning glances and giggles from the young nurses standing a few feet away.

"I'm not sure if them nurses would agree with ya, you and yur cousin sure had the hospital gossip goin, son," he said, winking at the slightly blushing young man, before resuming his rounds.

Bo entered the hospital room, seeing the large grin on Luke's face mirroring his own.

"I see ya already heard the news," Luke said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Yup," Bo said, sitting down for another game of chess, something Luke and him always enjoyed.

"Hey Luke?" Bo asked, his voice a little unsure.

"Yeah?"

"Are ya ever gonna tell uncle Jesse what ya told me? I mean… don't ya think he needs ta know?"

Knowing what his cousin meant, Luke shook his head.

"Nah, it happened a long time ago, an' I don't wanna worry uncle Jesse any more than he already does now, with us crashin cars an' gettin stuck in trees."

Bo chuckled, "I know what ya mean cuz, but don't ya think he can decide for himself if he worries 'bout us?"

"He sure can, I jus don't want him ta worry bout something that happened a long time ago. Something I want ta forget, even though I probably never will…"

Lapsing into a comfortable silence, both boys turned their attention back to the game in front of them, accepting each others opinion. Bo, sensing that Luke had made up his mind, decided to let the subject rest, knowing it was already a miracle Luke had told _him_. And things worked out. They were both alive an kickin, something he hadn't expected when they were stuck in that tree, bleeding and surrounded by hungry predators. It truly was a miracle. They were here, in one piece, playing chess. Something they had done their entire lives, and probably would do the rest of their lives.

A sudden smile crept on his face, just as Luke took his Queen.

"What are ya so happy 'bout cuz? I'm winnin bigtime here…" Luke said, knowing how Bo hated to lose a good game a chess.

Still wearing the broad smile, Bo shook his head, "Ya sure are cuz, ya sure are."

And as blue eyes met blue eyes, Luke got infected with the same joyous grin, a sudden understanding in both their eyes.

"Yeah… I really am…"

**Ya know that? I always knew them boys could mind read. Somehow one of em always know what the other one's a thinkin. An' right now, they's probably both thinkin it's good ta be alive.**

_Epilogue_

The roar of a powerful engine tore through the dust covered roads of Hazzard county. The 12 tones of _Dixie_ were heard as they came to a screeching halt in front of the small farm.

"Now how does it feel ta be home again cuz?" Bo asked, looking at their beloved farmhouse.

"Ta be honest?" Luke asked, smiling a broad smile, "A little painful to the ribs, but most of all… Yeeehaw!" the yell filled the inside of the car, drifting through the windows into the county.

Chuckling Bo got out of the General, climbing through the window of the welded door. Looking over at Luke, who was still sitting in the passengers seat, he made his way over to the other side.

"Need some help gettin out cuz?"

Looking a little uncomfortable, Luke looked out the window, shame filling his eyes.

"Uhh, yeah I guess I do…"

"Don't worry none cuz, you'll be climbin in an' out again in no time. Besides, we helped uncle Jesse in this car lot of times, an' ya know how he likes that!" Bo laughed.

After gently helping Luke out of the orange stockcar, they both made their way to the farm.

"Bo, are ya sure Jesse an' Daisy are home? It looks like nobody's home."

Looking the other way, Bo hid his grin, "I don't know Luke, maybe they's doin the groceries…"

Opening the door Luke was met with the entire town of Hazzard. Familiar faces greeted him, Enos gave him a firm handshake, which turned into a hug so tight it almost crushed Luke's windpipe.

"Possums on a gumbush Luke, I'm sure glad you's okay!" he exclaimed with the usual Enos charm.

Other people were seated in the entire house, filling it with sound and laughter. Even the Learson's had come over, showing them their new truck. They weren't mad over the whole crashing the old truck, and even went as far as to help them with the spilled crops.

Several pretty girls talked and flirted with both Duke boys, Luke getting a little more attention then usual. At the end of the evening he sat outside, chatting with Sarah Ray, Betty-Jo's pretty cousin, when he started yawning. The other guests had already left and he had also said goodbye to Sarah Ray. 'She sure was somethin…'

Stepping back inside he took a seat on the soft and inviting couch, sitting down with the rest of the family. He listened to their soft chatter; Daisy's pretty voice, his uncle's deep timbre, and Bo's youthful one and he slowly closed his eyes.

"Ya know Boss even sent a get well soon card?" Daisy said, sipping from her drink.

"That little fat man get's weirder every single day, I wonder what he's got up his sleeve now?" Bo said, disgust filling his voice.

"Now Bo, JD has got a heart too. Let's not forget that, even though he doesn't seem ta use it much…" Jesse replied.

"Luke, whatta ya-," Bo started, before seeing he wouldn't be getting any reaction from that side.

Luke had his eyes closed, head resting on the headrest, as a light snore came from his slightly opened mouth. Sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world.

Uncle Jesse grabbed a thick blanket and covered his eldest nephew with it before turning to his other 'children'.

"I'm off ta bed, y'all let him sleep now, he needs it. Goodnight."

A few minutes later all Dukes had found their beds, or couch, sleeping peacefully as the farm was wrapped in a dark blanket. The only sound in the cool night air were the crickets, sounding just as happy as all the inhabitants of Hazzard.

**An' all was quiet in Hazzard County. Well, until the next time an adventure takes a wrong turn, and ends up on the Duke doorstep in Hazzard County, Georgia…**

END...


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